Rage
by TheGirlWithFarTooManyIdeas
Summary: Harry makes unexpected friends in his fourth year, when his friends and his housemates abandon him. Hestia and Flora, daughters of some of Voldemort's most sadistic enforcers, know what its like to live in fear. In this unlikely relationship, the three plot to bring down Voldemort and escape the society that tried to destroy them. Dark, violent, potential H/H/F pairing
1. Chapter 1

**Rage**

**(It's a cramped studio. A frowning girl with red hair and a sword strapped over her back is making her way through a book covered floor over to a desk where Wanda is napping, several scrips around her)**

**Tyene: Really? Another one?**

**(Wanda jumps up and flushes guiltily): I couldn't help it! I'm still updating everything else, I just wanted to punch another ticket!**

**Tyene: You're going to give yourself an aneurysm at this rate.**

**Wanda: (stubbornly) No, I'm not. I'm just punching the Harry/Carrows ticket. For originality! (realtively) I do not own Harry Potter!**

**Tyene: Don't say I didn't warn you...**

**Chapter 1: Cold**

"_With a tortured soul, and a wicked design. Your will cannot endure, and your heart is torn away." - Serpentine, Disturbed_

To be truthful, Harry Potter always tried to keep his anger inside.

It had never helped him before. Whoever was tormenting him always had the upper hand in ways he could never react to without punishments that could not be endured. Either it was Dudley (who was protected by his parents) the kids at school (who were protected by the teachers) his aunt/uncle (who were protected by their jobs and 'middle class living') or by the kids at his _new _school (who were also being protected by their teachers). Harry had been taught when he was young that justice was something that happened to other people, not him. Goodness was something given to people who stepped on others to get what they wanted.

He had thought that was wrong, initially, when he came to Hogwarts. He got two friends, a power he had never known he possessed, and a chance to start a new life. Part of him had wondered initially if this was some sort of hoax, and now he was beginning to think there was merit to that.

It was when his name came out of the Goblet of Fire _after _it had already chosen its three champions that he had begun to realize this. The teachers refused to pull him out despite it being extremely obvious that something was wrong.

Then...his two _best friends _had betrayed him. Harry was beginning to wonder why he hadn't expected this from the start, especially when it had happened before. Once, a couple of kids in the playground had offered to let him hang out with them, even offering him part in the school play. Harry had been ecstatic, not even considering the consequences, and threw himself into it. What had resulted was an onstage humiliation not unlike Carrie White's, one that had destroyed Harry's ability to believe that he could ever have real friends.

And yet he had still been tricked, even for a few years! How could he have been so stupid?

Harry hadn't been outwardly angry in a long time. He tried to keep it all inside. After all, getting angry made him lash out. And when he lashed out, it was always his fault. Because the opponents were all 'protected'. It would always be his fault for 'retaliating' or 'starting it' when he should have 'been the bigger man' or whatever the teacher would say after the incident.

Ron accused him of being an attention-seeking glory hound. As if there was anything he could want less! Harry would gladly give up everything, the scar, the fame, the money if he could just live a day with his mother, a woman so wonderful she was willing to die for him.

Harry didn't want _fame _at her expense, especially when _she _was the one that saved _him! _It wasn't he who stopped the dark lord, it was his mother's love, Dumbledore had said so directly!

Hermione had lectured him for getting into trouble. For breaking the rules. They were all things she had said before when dangers had come around, except Harry had always ignored them. He had always wanted to believe that she was his friend. That belief had made him gullible and stupid.

They both abandoned him for not being a 'true friend'.

Harry was sad – heartbroken – but he was also angry. All that anger inside him, that he had kept there for many years, was boiling and threatening to come out.

He was angry at the Headmaster for letting this happen to him, for letting all these terrible things happen to him, for not beliving him when he had begged not to be sent home to the Dursleys.

He was angry at Ron and Hermione, for duping him and leaving him with this terrible pain in his heart, tearing open an old wound and making him hurt far more then any of Voldemort's attempted murders had.

He was angry at the school that was ostracizing him, turning him into a joke, wearing 'Potter stinks' badges just to show how much they hated him.

But most of all, he hated himself, for falling for it. He had believed that he was getting a chance to be welcomed, wanted, but it was just another cage like the primary school or the Dursleys. At least back there, he knew where he stood. He wasn't praised one moment and reviled the next, but still expected to save the school. He felt like a fool, they had done this exact same thing in the second year where everyone believed that he had opened the Chamber of secrets. He had been so desperate and they had used him quite nicely, hadn't they.

He had to get away, had to hide somewhere where he could unleash all this horror without reprisal. What he he had found was the Astronomy Tower, the highest point in the castle which always remained unused during the daytime.

Harry threw the door open with a bang and was surprised by what he saw.

The door to the balcony was wide open. A green and silver cloak – a Slytherin one – was ripped and flung over a chair. Books were strewn all over the floor. Harry walked towards the balcony, and standing in his life of view was a girl.

She was standing on the railing with her back to him. Her clothes were tattered and muggle, which surprised him – he thought all Slytherins were purebloods who would rather die then be associated with muggles. Her hair long and unkempt, the dirty golden brown strands tossing in the strong wind. She was rail thin and extremely pale.

Harry had an inkling what she was preparing to do. The thought had crossed his mind when Ron and Hermione had ranted at him after the Goblet, forcing him to sleep in the common room.

_Flashback_

"_You always have to be in the spotlight, huh?! Why couldn't you tell me you were going to do it too?! Do you think your friends don't deserve eternal glory too?!"_

"_Harry, why would you do that?! Only students above seventeen can be allowed to participate!" It was her special tone of voice, too – the superior 'I expected better from you' voice that all teacher's pets have perfected._

"_I didn't do it! I don't want eternal glory!"_

"_Some friend you are! Until you quit lying to me you're no longer my friend! I deserve better then this!"_

"_Harry, I'm really disappointed...you shouldn't lie to your friends...I'm going to talk to Professor Dumbledore."_

_Both his friends left him there, the crowd parting before them. Some of the other gryffs laughed, causing Harry to shrink back into the couch, struggling not to cry._

_End Flashback_

Harry walked out onto the balcony, his eyes never leaving the other girl. He was struck by an intense feeling of empathy, of kinship for this slytherin girl who also felt like life was too painful to live.

"Do you really want to do that?"

The girl gasped and spun around, facing him. She nearly fell over backwards with the sudden movement, but Harry grabbed her hand and steadied her. She looked at him in utter shock, unsure of what to make of his presence.

"Do you really want to jump?" Harry repeated his question, looking into her eyes. They were mismatched – one was blue, the other green. He was also struck by the scars – there were scars on her check and neck, noticeable ones. That was strange – usually the mediwitch could clean them up so well that not even scars were left behind from serious injuries.

"I...I..." The girl's words were so low they were nearly ripped away by the wind. "Please...I don't...I can't...I don't want trouble..."

"Neither do I." Harry said. "But now that I've seen you here, I can't exactly let you fall, can I? I'd have to be a pretty terrible person."

The girl blinked owlishly at him, as if he was speaking another language. She looked down at his hand, which was still holding hers to keep her on the rails. Gently Harry pulled her towards him, catching her when her legs wobbled and she fell forward.

She was so _light_ – wasn't she eating? The dinners at Hogwarts were always capable of feeding twice the number of students it was hosting. The girl flinched slightly in his arms, so he let her stand on her own though he still held her hand to keep her from running back to the railing.

"Please let go," She begged.

"I can't." Harry said quietly. "I'm sorry. If I do, if I let you kill yourself, I would never forgive myself."

"But it wouldn't be wrong," The girl pleaded, staring tearfully at him. "It would be a mercy...please, I have to do it now..."

"No," Harry repeated. "Tell me what's wrong. I promise, I won't be like the teachers, I won't be like the parents. I'll try and help you."

The girl looked frightened at this. "How...how did you know...?"

Harry's lips twitched slightly into what could be an ironic smile. "When I saw you there...I knew what you must be thinking. Because I've been thinking it too."

"You...?" The girl echoed in timid wonder, blinking tears away to see him clearly. "But...but how...?" She flushed and stared at the ground. "I'm sorry, that's a stupid question. Everyone's being really horrible to you over the hijacked goblet." Confusion flooded her expression. "But why would you...don't you have..."

Harry let out a short laugh; the sheer bitterness of it surprising him. "Oh, you don't even know the half of it."

Gently he lead her back inside the Astronomy Tower, closing the door and charming it shut. The girl flinched slightly, but at this point Harry let go of her and sat down on the floor. He made a point of dropping his wand and kicking it away from him.

"There. See? I'm not going to hurt you." He said. The girl looked wonderingly at him, before slowly crumpling to the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"What's your name?"

"Hestia. Carrow." The girl said miserably. "There. Are you going to curse me now?"

"What? Why would I do that?"

"Because my parents were death eaters." Hestia said sadly, fear flashing through her eyes. "They're evil, horrible, twisted, ugly, hateful people. They worked for the man who killed your mother and father."

Harry took a moment to absorb this. So Hestia was like Malfoy in the sense that she had Death Eaters for parents.

But she didn't act like Malfoy. Where Draco trumpeted his father's occupation and beliefs with pride, Hestia seemed to shrink under the very mention of her parents. Where Draco cheered his father, she was condemning them – out loud.

"Why would I hurt you because of that?" Harry asked, genuinely confused. "You didn't kill them. You haven't done anything to me."

"What, never heard of guilt by association?" A new voice snarled from behind them. Harry and Hestia both scrambled to their feet. Another girl had come to join them. She looked almost identical to Hestia – they must be twins like Fred and George, Harry realized.

"Flora," Hestia started in protest, but Flora was busy staring challengingly at Harry.

"Don't you know? _All _Slytherins are Death Eaters, or hiding Death Eaters. We're _all _evil, huddled in chairs by the fire planning our next dastardly move. Even if we're _not _doing anything, it's _obviously _because we're hiding the actions of people who _are_." Flora spat on the floor, daring him to contradict her. "We _all _deserve to be punished for what _Moldy_shorts-"

"Flora!" Hestia whimpered in terror,

"-has ever done," Flora went on, waving her sister off. "If we _ever _get some praise or victory, we _obviously _don't deserve it. And _god _help you if you don't believe in Moldyshorts, because you're only choices are people who hate you, and people who _pretend _to accept you but really hate you too."

Her breath came out heavily as she finished ranting. Clearly she had been wanting to say this for some time. "I don't give a _shit _what you think you know about us, Golden Boy. If you knew the truth, would you even care? The headmaster doesn't, you're _noble _head of house doesn't."

"_Flora!_" Hestia protested, her voice finally raising over the other girl's. "He- He just helped me...!"

Flora paused at this, frowning and looking between them. "Why would he do that?" She asked, half to herself. "What does he want?"

"I DON'T WANT ANYTHING!" Harry bellowed, his anger spilling over at last. Flora jumped backwards, one hand on her wand, but she didn't draw. "I HELPED HER BECAUSE I THOUGHT SHE NEEDED IT! I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING FOR FAME AND FORTUNE! IF IT WAS MY CHOICE, I WOULD GIVE AWAY ALL THIS BLASTED BOY WHO LIVED FAME JUST SO I COULD HAVE ONE DAY WITH MY MOTHER!"

Flora stared back at him, eyes wide. Hestia looked frightened but determined as she scrambled between them.

"She didn't mean it!" Hestia said desperately, holding open her hands as though protecting Flora from a firing squad, "It's just, sometimes everything's a bit too much for Flora and she says things she shouldn't-"

Flora pulled her back, muttering, "You don't have to protect me, Hestia!", but Harry's anger was already draining away at the fear in Hestia's eyes. It was true; neither girl in front of him deserved to take the brunt of what wasn't their fault.

"I'm sorry," He muttered, dropping his head and turning away. "I think I'm going a little mad now. There's just – this is all -" He made an angry noise and threw himself into a nearly chair, rubbing his fingers against his cheek.

A moment of silence filled the room. After a few uncertain moments, the soft sound of footsteps brought Harry out of his thoughts. Hestia was kneeling down in front of him, looking worried.

"I'm sorry, Harry." She whispered.

Harry shook his head rapidly. "God, don't say sorry to me." He said impatiently. "I'm not angry at you, so I shouldn't have blown up at you."

Flora still looked wary, but took a few steps forward to join them. "No, that's not what I meant," Hestia said. "You have a lot on your plate right now without having our problems thrown in your face too. Especially since everyone's accusing you of being a liar, you shouldn't have to be hearing about being a bigot too."

Harry waved his hand, still looking down at the floor, "I'm telling you, it's fine...though that's nice of you. More then anyone in my house has offered me." He gave her a slight smile at this. Hestia hesitantly returned the gesture.

Flora let out her breath. "Sorry," She muttered. "I haven't been having a good day."

"That seems to be a theme," Harry said dryly. Hestia giggled a bit, though Flora's scowl didn't crack.

"Why are you up here by yourself?" Hestia asked. "Shouldn't Ron and Hermione be with you?"

Harry sighed. "I learned the hard way, once again, that people who claim to want to be friends can be lying to you." He said. "The whole tower, in this case."

Flora sat down on the floor, joining her sister. "So they're all falling for the 'Potter put his name in' act? Please. Even if my daddy wasn't a crowing death eater, I could tell that was a setup."

Harry's head jerked up. "Wait a minute. Do you know about this?"

"Flora!" Hestia whimpered. "They will _kill _us!"

"What could they possibly do that they haven't already done to us?" Flora asked bitingly. "Torture? Imprisonment? Drag us out to 'let's torture some muggles' nights? I've been there, done that, and I don't care anymore."

Harry stared at Flora, who admissioned so easily that her parents tortured her. She said it as if it was a fact of life, one bitterly accepted, but inescapable. She sounded like he did, sometimes, in the dark of night when no one could hear him.

Flora stared back at him, eyes narrowing again. "I'm not making that up," She said through gritted teeth, "for a sympathy grab, before you even ask."

"But why...what...shouldn't Dumbledore know about that?" Harry asked, stumped. "I mean, he must know who your parents are, and if they were death eaters in the first war he must knew what they're like!"

"Please, Harry." Flora shook her head. "You, of all people, know how scornful everyone is of slytherin. Some of them deserve it – deserve it and worse – but not all of them. Dumbledore doesn't give a damn about anyone other then his _precious _Gryffindors, who he shall shield from any harm no matter how much they might deserve it."

"I'm a Gryffindor," Harry muttered, "And yet I'm getting no protection."

"But you're Harry Potter." Flora responded flatly. "You're the boy-who-lived. Son of one of his favoured students who died in the war. An instrument to end the second one. You require _special _handling."

"I. Don't. Want. It."

"We can see that now," Flora said, eyeing him up and down. Her dark, cold eyes were filled with a sort of understanding Harry hadn't seen before. "And I'm guessing you did to."

"I can't believe I came into this place so blind." Harry said bitterly. "I should have known."

"...why should you have known?" Hestia's eyes grew really wide. "Are you're aunt and uncle – oh god, they're not like our parents. They can't be."

Harry looked at her again. There was so much empathy in her voice it made his heart clench and skip, and it was all so _raw_ – genuine – that he temporarily wasn't sure what to say.

Eventually, though, he felt as if he could speak. These two strange girls watched with shock, not judgement, when he said, "They didn't give me scars like those," He held his hand near Hestia's face, indicating the still-remaining scars. Now he knew why they had remained. "But yeah. They were. They still are."

Hestia looked like she wanted to cry at this. Flora's eyes narrowed into slits. "I'm sure he'll be taken care of," She growled as though quoting someone. "Taken care of, indeed."

Harry punched the wall. He didn't have to ask to know who had said that. "None of this was my fault!" He raged. "I'm tired of always being at fault when I'm retaliating for being treated like shit! I hate always being the victim."

Suddenly, he found himself being hugged – Hestia, full of concern and compassion, had gotten up and gently hugged him. "I'm sorry, Harry. I'm really sorry," She whispered. Harry stood frozen in her arms for a long minute. Then he, surprising himself, returned the hug and stayed there.

"I'm sorry too."

"That's kind of you," Flora's voice broke the couple up. They both stood up, as she had done so a moment before, looking at each other in embarrassment. "But unfortunately, that doesn't change our current circumstances. Potter – Harry – how are you planning to survive the tournament?"

"I don't know," Harry responded sourly.

Flora looked calculatingly at him. "I've been wondering what sort of person you were for a long time. And now...you surprised me. I – we – happen to know a lot of magic that most schools don't teach, besides Drumstrang. Find some place for us to meet discreetly and we'll try and help you through this."

Harry looked at her in surprise. "Is there anything you particularly want in return?" He asked. "Protection?"

"That would be nice," Flora admitted, though the tone of her voice never changed. "But what I really want is for a way to end this."

Harry didn't have to ask to know what _this _was. Flora and Hestia suffered, like him, thanks to the war and the bigotry of the school.

"Flora's making this sound like some sort of contract," Hestia complained, frowning at her sister. "I'd like to help you, Harry...because you helped me. That's all."

Harry cracked a smile at this. "Want to help me? How would one go about defeating a fully-grown, pissed off mother dragon long enough to get a fake egg?"

**Several Days Later**

Once Flora had finished cursing when he told her what the first task actually _was_, she had gone straight to work. Harry, in his search for some place where he could meet the Slytherin twins in secret, ended up stumbling across the Room of Requirement. This quickly became their training place.

The magic Flora had discussed was Dark magic. Hestia had been worried about how he'd take it, and when he asked about it he was treated to a lecture about _intention_.

The two girls were very knowledgeable on the subject...due to having been subjects themselves. Dark Magic was ruled by intention, which is why a lot of the spells in its inventory caused pain. However, there were entire sections of wizards throughout history who used Dark Magic without being Voldemort, by challenging their emotions to different ends.

Anger became the power to protect, sadness hid you from anything seeking you out, happiness overwhelmed mental defences, and so on.

It was anger (unsurprisingly) that Flora leaned on the most. By the twins' third year, almost everyone in Slytherin was terrified of her, Malfoy included. She was teaching Harry some incantations to use against the dragon, since anything else would be almost inefficient to the point of suicide due to how powerful the creatures were.

A few weeks ago, Harry would have been frightened by all the fury he had found inside himself during his lessons. He obliterated some dummies made up to look like Vernon or Petunia, leaving nothing but scorch marks behind. Frankly he was amazed what he was doing wasn't scaring Hestia, who was a good deal more gentle then her sister.

Of course, Flora was partially the bitter, aggressive girl that she was in order to protect her twin from as much of the world's brutality as she could. Hestia ended up being the more supportive of the two when Flora found herself too emotionally wrung out to face the day.

The more Harry learned about the girls, the more the spark of kinship he felt towards them grew. They didn't treat him with pity or contempt or anything he had gotten used to. He wasn't someone special to them; he was an equal. Maybe even, at some point in time, a friend.

As such, Harry went into the battle against his dragon (naturally, he got the most dangerous of the lot) feeling much more confident then he had before.

Some small part of him was worried about using Dark Magic in front of Dumbledore and the Gryffindors, but by this point he was too tired of wasting his hopes on them to even care how they might react.

He pointed his wand at the furious creature and shouted the ancient words.

Fourteen years of rage and unhappiness burst out of his wand in a blast of blazing light so powerful it knocked everyone in the stands over. The dragon screamed in pain and was thrown backwards, spikes thrust through its scales. When the light faded, it was incapacitated.

Harry dropped his wand arm, feeling utterly exhausted. He stumbled over to his egg, picked it up, and walked off the stage not waiting for Ludo Bagman to regain his equilibrium to hand out the points. He could feel the shock radiating from the stands.

When he reached the tent, Hestia and Flora were waiting for him. "That was great, Harry!" Hestia beamed. "You were incredible!"

"I don't feel incredible," Harry said, collapsing down on the bed. "I feel like death warmed over."

"That kind of spell is going to be exhausting," Flora said. She sounded impressed and a little scared. "It's amazing using so much magic didn't cause you to outright faint or even die. That was a truly frightening display, Harry."

"It was?" Harry said, surprised.

Flora nodded. Hestia looked like she was about to say something, but she suddenly started, grabbed her sister's arm and pulled her back into the darkness away from the tent. Harry was confused for a moment before the two people he wanted to see the least burst into the tent.

Hermione and Ron stared at him for a long moment, before speaking at the same time.

Ron said, "I guess you didn't put your name in the goblet after all," looking apprehensive and red at the ears.

Hermione, on the other hand, blurted out, "You used dark magic, Harry! You, of all people!"

"Gee, thank you Hermione. I'm touched by how glad you are that I survived being attacked by a dragon in one piece." Harry said coldly. "It's great that the girl I considered one of my closest friends is more concerned over the fact that I used strange magic she doesn't understand at all due to the biased books she loves so much then the fact I could have died."

Turning his attention to Ron, he added, "And I'm grateful that my other closest friend took a whole month of bullying and a near death experience to realize that I'm not a cheat and I had been forced into the tournament. A close friend would have believed me, even after some doubts, but you weren't that friend."

Ron gaped. "You-you don't mean that. We're sorry, Harry."

"Sure you are," Harry said, anger bubbling inside him again. "You're _sorry _that you said terrible things about me and were part of the House bullying me. You're _sorry _that you betrayed the fragile trust I had in you, and I don't trust easily. You're _sorry _that you left me out to hang in one of the most difficult months of my life. Well...I'm sorry, but _sorry _isn't enough. Not now."

"Harry, what choice did we have?" Hermione butted in, looking imploringly at him. "I thought you were turning dark-"

Harry rounded on her, jumping to his feet and glaring, "And what told you that, miss know-it-all Granger? The three years I've spent by your side as your friend, risking my life to prevent injustices and deaths from befalling other people in this school? Those precious books of yours that you take as a guide to life itself, when they're nothing but words that cannot possibly inform you of how all people think and feel?"

"How dare you Harry Potter. Apologize to me, that isn't fair." Hermione stormed.

"Oh, so I have to apologize but you owe me now apologies for throwing me away over some hearsay. Why did I ever become friends with you? Well, I won't be making that mistake again."

Harry didn't notice he had an audience, he was so engulfed in the terminal of his emotions. Professor McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore were standing outside the tent, both having come to interrogate him over the type of magic he had used, while the Carrow twins were hiding out behind the tent listening to him rant.

None interrupted; McGonagall was stunned, Dumbledore was troubled, and the Carrows were happy. Happy that Harry was standing up for himself.

Growling, "You're a hypocrite, and a traitor, and I am through with both of you," Harry turned on his heel and stormed out of the tent, leaving the shell shocked Gryffindors behind.

**End Chapter**

**Here's to getting furious over not being believed. again. I mean, after second year surely the school would have known better, but nope! It's always Harry's fault first. Man, those people are almost as annoying as the civilians in the Marvel Universe.**

**Read and Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Rage**

**Tyene: Are you planning to eat, drink or sleep at any point in the foreseeable future?**

**Wanda: (sitting behind a computer with scripts rearranged around her in ascending order of importance) Maybe once this brainwave is over. I haven't written this much at once in ages!**

**Tyene: Should I go warn Harry?**

**Wanda: No amount of warnings are going to help. I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 2: Altercation**

The next day, Harry went to Professor McGonagall's office to resign from the Quidditch team. A huge shouting match occurred, but Harry would not be swayed. In the end, Harry had won by vocalizing, once again, his indigation over his situation.

"Why should I remain on the team? Everyone in Gryffindor called me a cheat and a liar. This isn't the first time they've abandoned or distrusted me nor is it the first time I've almost died trying to save them! Why should I immediately do things for them when I have to climb into the mouth of a snarling basilisk or dragon to dispel some vicious rumours? Well, forget it! They don't want me, so I'm leaving – they can't have it both ways."

With that, he stormed out of the office. Instead of going to class, he went to the room of requirement to continue practising the magic Hestia and Flora had shown him.

Quickly it became obvious that Harry wasn't going to any of his classes. Detentions were assigned and ignored, and no amount of lost points convinced him to return to the dorm room.

Often he was joined by the twins during class hours. Malfoy, true to form, had recognized the spell Harry had used during the attack as part of Flora's inventory. Too cowardly to face either of them now, he instead let it be known among the Gryffindors who had been teaching Harry 'the evil dark magic', painting a target on the two objectors among the Death Eater children.

Harry was shaking his head as Flora recounted some of their recent altercations. Ginny, Fred and George Weasley had cornered the two girls initially, but surprisingly Ginny chose to believe Hestia when she pointed out that Harry would have died if he hadn't been taught the magic. Then, Flora had treated them to an ear-bursting rant about how they were only worried about Harry's safety once he was no longer in danger, and if they really cared they would have stuck around before he was marched out to face a dragon instead of slinking back to him afterwards.

"This is bullshit," Flora snarled, if looks could kill the three Weasleys would be nothing but ash, "If you knew anything about Dark Magic, not just the biased crap that Dumbledore and his sycophants spew out, you would know that what Harry did wasn't wrong. Not to bloody well mention he wouldn't have been in that position if he hadn't been forced into a life and death tournament! Well, if two 'evil death eaters' like me and Hestia were willing to risk helping Harry, what does that make the lot of you?"

Ginny looked appropriately ashamed, "I thought it was fishy, but when I talked to mom she said that if Dumbledore said the cup was infallible, I should keep quiet."

"Dumbledore be damned, Weasley!" Hestia said with surprising aggression. "Learn to trust your own intuition instead of blindly towing the party line like your mother! If something seems wrong, it's probably wrong, especially in this goddamn school where every week there's something trying to kill you!"

Flora smiled at her sister's new desire to protect herself. When Harry had convinced her not to jump, he had reignited the will to live in her twin. Now Hestia, who would have cowered in fear a few weeks ago, was standing tall and defending herself. "You people are always going on about blood prejudice," She added, glaring at the three again. "And yet apparently its fine for you to be prejudiced against all of us! Now I don't mean Malfoy and his cronies, they deserve the worst you can give them and then some, but how is tarring all of us with the same 'Slytherins are evil' brush any different from Malfoys 'all muggleborns are scum' theory? Tell me Weasley, does that make it right? Funny, you struck me as a pretty loving bunch, how does it feel to be little different from Malfoy?"

The twins flinched, while Ginny lowered her head. "Harry deserved better then what he got," Hestia said determindly. "I don't think he'll ever forgive you within the stretch of the school year; heck I wouldn't be surprised if he never does. So many terrible things have happened to him; he was just starting to trust people and your brother destroyed that trust. You could have stood up for him but you chose to believe in Dumbledore instead."

Despite the famous Weasley temper, Ginny, Fred and George had taken Flora and Hestia's tongue lashing in stride; clearly they felt some remorse for failing to stand up for Harry.

Not everyone felt this way, however – Flora and Hermione Granger's shouting match during lunch the next day had to be seen to be believed. It started when the two girls were eating at their places at the end of the Slytherin table, minding their own business when a certain bushy haired Gryffindor stomped over to them and accused them of being Death Eaters.

Alecto and Amycus Carrow were death eaters, and nothing sparked Flora's infamous rage like being even tangentially compared to her father and aunt.

"How the fuck would you know that, Granger?" She barked, standing up immediately. Hestia cast a quick glance at the staff table before standing as well to support her twin. "'Oh, they're categorizing us, they're saying all muggleborns are stupid, can't you see how wrong that is'?" She mimicked the Gryffindor's know-it-all tone quite well, causing the other girl to turn scarlet with anger. "And that's wrong! But oh no, Harry's learning from a Slytherin, _clearly _he's turned to the side of the man who murdered his mother and father in cold blood and forced him to grow up an orphan with a shit-tastic aunt and uncle! Are you retarded!?"

"You taught him dark magic!" Hermione accused, glaring back at Flora. "Everyone knows that Dark Magic is You-Know-Who's primary weapon! You're trying to _seduce _Harry, then you'll drug him up with potions and give him to the Dark Lord as a weapon!"

"You-Know-Who? The Dark Lord? You can't even use his real name? Oh, such Gryffindor courage, I shudder to think how dangerous you'll be when you graduate," Flora said snidely. "Oh, and pray tell, who is 'everyone', Miss I-Know-Everything Granger? The books that can never be wrong or written by biased narrators? The books that Dumbledore screens before deeming 'appropriate' for a school setting? Oh, but the Great Dumbledore said they're dangerous, and he's a god among men who never, ever makes mistakes or does things according to his own agenda."

"You know, if you were interested in Harry, you should have believed in him," Hestia added, prodding at the _seduce _part of Hermione's accusation. The bushy haired witch jumped back like she had been bitten. "Anyone who feels real love would."

"Come on, Hestia." Flora said calmly. "Granger doesn't _love_. She _wants_. She expects her world to work a certain way, where she's always right and has everyone's best interests at heart. She's just some poor, put upon suffering under the big bad nobles, but she'll rise above them and show them how wrong they were – isn't that right, Granger?"

Hermione pulled out her wand. "I should hex you into oblivion, you little Death Eater _slag_!"

Flora immediately drew her own wand. "Just try it, bitch. You've never fought a real battle, I'd send you crying to your mommy. Just because Dumbledore _coddles _you, you think you can judge and take on the world? Hah! You're just a stupid, selfish little girl who's desperate to control everything."

"At least I'm not _evil_!" Hermione volleyed back. "Unlike you and your Death Eater friends!"

Flora laughed in her face at this. "Smartest witch of our age, indeed. Tell me Granger, have you ever seen me or my sister hanging out with Draco Malfoy?" Hermione paused. "Pansy Parkinson? Any of the other children who openly crow their Death Eater ties? No. If you knew anything about us, you would know that was far from the truth. But you? I think, with different parents, you and Pansy would get along swimmingly. You're as equally prejudiced and narrow minded."

There was a blast of light, then Hermione was knocked flat on her back, her hair falling out.

Flora snorted, having easily deflected the stunner Hermione had sent her way. "You should work a little less on theory, and a little more on actual magic, little girl," She sneered. She put her wand away as the teachers came running down and calmly returned to her meal.

"Detention, Miss Carrow," McGonagall started, but now it was Hestia's turn to leap to her sister's defence.

"Why does Flora have to have detention? Hermione attacked her first! She came over here and started accusing us of following Voldemort-" McGonagall flinched, causing Flora to roll her eyes. "-and called us nasty names. Why isn't she getting detention?"

"Because she's a precious perfect Gryffindor who's attacking a big bad snake," Flora said, with enough sarcasm to melt steel. "You know what, screw this. I'm sick of taking accusations from everyone – let's get out of here, Hestia."

"Fifty points from Slytherin! You have to sit that detention!" McGonagall yelled after them, but the twins ignored her and went looking to join Harry in the RoR.

"Wow," Harry said flatly when Flora finished explaining the day to him. "You didn't need to stick up for me. I don't want you getting into more trouble because of me."

"Oh, screw being careful, Harry." Flora chuckled, gulping down the drinks that Dobby had given them. "We've already got a target on our head as 'suspected mudblood sympathizers'."

Harry sighed, "Somehow I expected better from Professor McGonagall but I suppose she's Dumbledore's yes woman, though and though. I was so immersed in having friends that it didn't occur to me that students in Slytherin were also being treated unfairly."

Hestia shook her head. "It's alright, Harry, despite that you never hurt us. You always focused your scorn on Draco, and he deserves it doesn't he? I'm sure Tracey would hex the living daylights out of him if she thought she could get away with it."

"Tracey?" Harry asked.

"Tracey Davis," Flora explained. "One of those who doesn't support Voldemort, and probably our only friend in Slytherin. She's been watching out for us and cleaning us up ever since first year."

"Is she..." Harry began, gesturing between the three of them. It was still hard for him to acknowledge all the pain he had gone through at the Dursleys without instinctively triggering his anger.

"Her dad," Hestia said. "Her mother, however, isn't having it, so she shelters Tracey from it as best she can. Despite that, she's very cheerful and friendly – oh, and she believes your innocent too."

Harry smiled. "That's nice to know." He thought about suggesting that he meet Tracey, but he was still wary after Ron and Hermione's betrayal of making new friends so quickly. Though if Hestia and Flora were friends with her, it was doubtful she was in one of the two camps intent on using Harry.

"There's something you should know though Harry," Hestia added, "I heard from Professor Snape that there's going to be a Yule Ball before the second task. Because you're one of the champions they're going to expect you there to open the ceremony."

Harry groaned. "Wonderful. Well, I better find someone to ask before Hermione Granger is 'assigned' to be my date." He had heard whispers of that from the ghosts, who had been muttering over some of the decisions Dumbledore had made as Headmaster recently.

Looking between the two girls in front of him, he had an idea. "You know, if it was possible – if you would like it – I'd take both of you to the ball," He confessed, causing both girls to look at him in plain surprise. "Your support has been invaluable and I feel like an actual person around you – not a caricature, or a tool to be paraded around until its not useful anymore. You make me feel almost happy and I haven't really felt like that before."

Glancing at Flora, he added, "I have a sense that you'd really hate going to the ball, Flora, and I doubt the teachers would appreciate me taking two dates instead of one. Am I wrong?"

Flora quickly collected herself and shook her head. "No, you're right."

Harry turned towards Hestia, "Would you do me the honour of accompanying me then, Hestia?"

The Slytherin girl looked like she might cry with happiness; she quickly blinked it away and smiled, "I would love to Harry but I don't have a dress."

"I'll give you some money," Harry offered. "Put in an order for a nice dress and a few other things you'd like. It's no trouble, I have more money then I have use for currently."

"How much? Just your trust vault?" Flora asked.

"There's more?" Harry asked, surprised. Hagrid had only been authorized to show him his trust vault.

Flora nodded, "The whole Potter estate was passed down to your father since he was the last heir. Most of it is old property that your father stopped using, since it was a symbol of 'pureblood superiority' or whatnot, but if you sold a lot of it off you would be a very rich man – much richer the the Malfoy's, at any rate. But you have to be a legal adult to access it."

Harry thought for a moment, "Hm...maybe I should talk to Sirius about that." To his surprise, neither girl blinked at the fact that the man was innocent – of course, given how fanatical their parents were, it would have been stranger if they hadn't been intimately familiar with Voldemort's closest minions. "He's my godfather, maybe that means he's the one managing my finances."

Flora nodded, "Yea, when the parents have died out the money and properties are handed over to the surviving heir's next of kin – and since the Dursleys don't accept magical mail, it would have passed to your godfather."

"You know, I heard Dumbledore asked to be godfather for you when you were born," Hestia said thoughtfully. "Your father liked the sound of it, but your mother was against it, so they went with Sirius."

"Why would Dumbledore ask to by my guardian." The obvious answer hit Harry the minute the question left his lips, "Of course, so he could have better control over me. Clearly it wasn't enough to force me to live with Vernon and Petunia, no he had to control my finances as well. Goddamn that old man."

Flora nodded sourly. "Dumbledore has a lot more power then you'd think," She said grumpily. "As Supreme Mugwump, he can address and execute wills, move children who have been orphaned, things like that."

"That doesn't sound good," Harry said sourly. "So that's how he could decide on where I lived, since Sirius had been wrongly thrown in jail. Somehow, given Petunia's attitude towards my mother, I doubt they were on the potential guardian list."

Hestia nodded. "He said he'd take 'personal responsibility' for those orphaned by the war," She said. "No one's challenged him because, well, he's Dumbledore and he has the power to override anyone else who challenges. Good for keeping Death Eaters out of the really high places, but not so good for those who are 'necessary sacrifices' for the end of the war."

"Which begs the question, if he's got so much god-damned power, why does he use it to overrule the bails given to Malfoy, Dad and his cronies," Flora demanded. "He's the supreme judge, he could open new enquiries if he believes the first ones were faulty, and yet he just sits on his bony ass waiting for things to turn better on their own. I swear he's more interested in giving dad, auntie and their friends second chances then getting us and their victims away from their clutches."

Harry sighed and sat up straight. "That's it, I'd say by the time this year is over I'm switching schools. I don't care where, if I have to go to New Zeland that's just fine as long as I get away from all this."

"That sounds nice," Hestia said. Then, a rare teasing smile appearing on her face, she added, "And if you're emancipated, we can elope and live happily ever after."

Harry flushed and smiled back, "I'd have my hands full with you two." This earned a chuckle out of the usually stoic Flora, which he took as a victory. "I hope that doesn't make me sound piggish or sexist."

Flora shook her head, "To be honest, three way relationships aren't all that uncommon, though their seen as less desirable then monogamy by many. From what I've heard, some marriages quite recently had either two brides or two grooms among half blood families."

Harry wasn't sure if she was joking or giving the thought serious consideration, so he attempted to change the subject. "Tracey might be disappointed if you run off," He remarked.

Hestia laughed at this, "Tracey is planning to run off too, actually. She's been all moony-eyed over the Drumstrang Champion ever since she met him at a Quidditch convention – I heard he's taking her to the yule ball. She says she's sick and tired of being mistreated and watching us get the short end of the stick all the time."

"That sounds like a fairy tale – the downtrodden girl gets the superstar." Harry remarked.

"A fairy tale Granger was expecting to be hers, too." Flora added scathingly. When Harry glanced at her, she added, "I saw her sucking up to him when they were in the library once. He shot her down flat, said he wasn't interested in dating a fangirl who's attracted to his fame. I think she figured that a high-profile date would have made you jealous."

Harry was the one rolling his eyes this time. "That wouldn't have worked even if she had succeeded; I only saw her as a sister before she turned on me over hearsay. If she wanted that sort of relationship, she should have told me and stayed by me instead of following the crowd. If I didn't find the thought terrifying I'd say it was like she was Dumbledore's girlfriend instead."

Flora made a disgusted face while Hestia turned green at the thought. "Oh, thanks for putting that image in my head, Harry! I'll have to take dreamless sleep potions to avoid nightmares now." The cynic complained.

"If it's any consolation, I think I threw up a little inside at that thought too," Harry admitted. It would suit her, though – Hermione blindly obeyed everything Dumbledore said as if she were a mindlessly loving housewife.

"To discuss something a little less horrifying, what kind of dress should I be looking for?" Hestia asked shyly. "I mean, I have a Witch Weekly subscription, but I was wondering..."

"Whatever makes you look beautiful," Harry responded warmly, causing the girl to blush. "And I'm sure no matter what you get you'll look radiant."

**In the Headmaster's Office**

That same evening, Dumbledore had called a meeting with the adults in Harry's life, sans Sirius and Remus. Sirius because he didn't want the man to know how serious the changes and events had been, and Remus had flat out refused to help once he had gotten all the details. Everyone else however had showed up as expected, including McGonagall and the Weasleys.

"Severus, why have the Carrow twins befriended Harry?" Dumbledore decided to get straight to the chase. He had been quite alarmed when the Carrow sisters stood up for Harry, making their newfound friendship to him clear. Dumbledore had plans for Harry's future and they did not involve him getting involved with a pair of Death Eater's children.

Dumbledore, while he believed that the Death Eaters could be spared and redeemed, he did not consider Hestia or Flora Carrow suitable matches for Harry, either romantically or as friends. He knew from Snape's reports how aggressive Flora was in protecting the people she cared about, while Hestia was gentle and empathetic and would give Harry a reason to live. If Harry was in love with someone like that, he would not be so willing to walk to his death in order to end the threat of Voldemort forever.

"From what I can tell, Headmaster, it's because he treated them kindly." Snape responded coldly. The man had seen that it had been wrong to side with the Death Eaters a little too late in his life.

To make up for it, he had thrown himself at Dumbledore's mercy, but the way the man treated the boy caused Snape to distance himself somewhat. He looked out for the children of the madmen he had known as best he could, but Dumbledore restrained him from doing too much. "I heard just recently that he talked Hestia Carrow down from throwing herself off the Astronomy tower to her death. The Gryffindors have been ruthless in their torment of anyone they believe to be supporting the Death Eaters, which seems to include my entire house. More then likely, they decided to help Potter because he was one of few who didn't hate and fear them because of who their parents were!"

Poppy gasped at the fact that a child had attempted suicide within the school walls. Flitwick and Aurora looked disturbed at this revelation – both would later put some alarms around the tower in hopes of preventing such further incidents from happening.

McGonagall railed against Dumbledore, "I told you, you should have made the goblet choose again or cancelled the tournament! Harry was to dumb in the ways of magic to survive without the aide of Dark Magic, such as the things the Carrows showed him. Its thanks to them that he's still alive, or that dragon would have eaten him!"

Dumbledore sighed, "I have been waiting for him to turn my way and ask for help, but he won't even look in my direction. I was hoping he would come to me sooner so we can sort these things through. I certainly hope your students haven't been turning him against me, Severus."

"Don't be naive, Dumbledore," Snape said angrily. "You did that well enough on your own when you failed to shield him from all the hatred and exclusion he got from the school this year, as well as forcing him to compete in a tournament he is too young to survive in and protested that he hadn't entered."

"Hm, perhaps he needs a little more time to forgive, Minerva perhaps you could talk a little sense into the boy?"

McGonagall shook her head, "The last time we spoke, he said in no uncertain terms that he didn't consider himself a Gryffindor anymore. He said we had abandoned him to another life threatening situation and he wasn't about to stick his head in another basilisk's mouth to prove what should be obvious. He hasn't appeared in any of my classes since and I haven't been able to catch him at mealtimes or inbetween."

"Well, your lions did say he was a liar and a cheat," Snape remarked snidely, "Perhaps he simply took it to heart that he wasn't wanted."

"Please, Severus, stop aggravating the issue," Dumbledore said firmly. "Arthur, he likes you; can you try to talk to him?"

Arthur and Molly looked equally worried over the situation they had suddenly found their family in. The two adults considered Harry part of the family and were aghast at the news they had gotten; Molly had been in the midst of making a howler for Ron when Dumbledore had summoned them. "We could try but given how appallingly Ron and the others except Ginny have been behaving I don't want to force anything right now." Arthur said.

Molly nodded in agreement, "They're still children, after all, we should give them some more time to sort things out on their own."

Arthur sighed, "We'll give them until Christmas Molly, but if their attitude hasn't changed I'll have to remind them that we owe Harry a debt for saving Ginny and I refuse to see him mistreated any further."

Dumbledore was beginning to look worried, "But then how can we convince him of our importance?"

"You killed that by refusing to be straight with him," Snape responded shortly. Now that he could see past James's appearance over the boy, he realized that Harry had suffered a lot like he had in his youth – unwelcoming peers who 'pranked' and then used the 'just joking' and 'it wouldn't happen again' justifications. "There is a lot of anger in Potter over how he has been treated over the years, and you let it fester instead of trying to defuse it. By using his only friends as spies, you've effectively destroyed any chance of him trusting anyone connected to you. I suspect Harry has been abused and I of all people know how hard it is for those who have been wronged to trust again."

"Surely you're wrong, Severus," Dumbledore said with a slight edge of panic, "Even James forgave after a while,"

"I don't mean James Potter," Snape growled out, "I was referring to myself and Lily. I know from experience that what Potter has gone through isn't forgiven, or forgotten. Lily, on the other hand, never forgave those who abused her trust and she would hex everyone in the school if she was alive today and knew what Harry had gone through. I...I owe it to him to give him space and some protection after the last few years."

Standing up to his full height, Snape glared around the table. "I shall no longer come to you with matters involving the children under my protection, Dumbledore, because you clearly do not have their best interests in mind. I shall be protecting the Carrows from any mistreatment you might concoct to attempt to separate them from Mr Potter. Good day."

With that, he swept out of the office without waiting to be dismissed, leaving stunned silence in his wake.

**A Few Days Later**

Training with Hestia and Flora caused the days to rush past for Harry. Given that they had taken to haunting the Room of Requirement, leaving only to go to the library or to get food from the kitchen, they were fairly removed from the more aggressive students who still bore a grudge against them. (which was, unfortunately, many)

It also established a pattern of familiarity that wiped out his interactions with Ron and Hermione from his memory. Flora would bark instructions, kick up the bar when it was clear that Harry had mastered something, while Hestia would give him water and tell him stories whenever they stopped for a break. During meals, they would chat amicably, discussing muggle movies they might see at some point

Flora was fascinated by the concept of movies; something Harry found interesting because it brought out her more emotional side. It was one of the few times her seemingly permanent scowl would leave her face; the other times were when Hestia made her laugh.

Hestia seemed to gain more and more strength with the time she spent with Harry. She seemed more confident now that she had someone else to rely on.

When the day of the Yule Ball arrived, Harry was waiting to escort her in simple robs at the top of the stairs. Sure enough, Hermione had attempted to latch onto his arm when McGonagall watching, but Harry had calmly pushed her away, informing her he had a date.

When Hestia emerged at the top of the staircase, Harry heard some gasps and grinned. Many could hardly recognize her. Hestia's golden brown hair was clean, straight and shimmering, clearly she'd done something to it to clear away years of neglect. Her dress was a simple but stunning gold with emerald trim, a ruby necklace tracing her neckline. She was slender but no longer skinny, her skin having taken a healthy sheen instead of the pasty pale it had been when they first met. She was smiling widely and she moved with a natural grace. Her mismatched blue and green eyes were full of joy, and Harry saw them as beautiful instead of strange.

Harry took her hand and said, "Flora?"

Hestia smiled softly at him. "Reading in the room. Oh Harry, this is the happiest day of my life." She threw her arms around his shoulders and he began to dance with her, sweeping her around the hall. Harry scarcely realized other people were watching – he only had eyes for his partner.

"You're beautiful," Harry informed her in a hushed voice.

Hestia's eyes sparked. "You look great, too." She said in a small voice. Harry could tell she was still feeling self conscious, so he kept moving her along, speaking only to her.

After about an hour and a half of dancing without stop, Harry and Hestia grew tired and stopped for a drink at one of the tables. After a moment of drinking, they were joined by Viktor Krum and his date, a stunning redhead who beamed when she saw Hestia.

"Tracey!" Hestia said happily, allowing Harry to relax. The two girls hugged and then examined each other, "You're beautiful!"

"Me?" Tracey giggled, "You're the star of the show tonight Hestia, or haven't you seen how everyone's been staring at you?"

Hestia blushed, "No I hadn't. I have a very nice date so I haven't noticed anything else."

Viktor nodded towards Harry. The boy was tense for a moment but then Viktor said, "I know that you hav been entered illegally. A fourteen year old boy, it is obvious. But the way you faced that dragon was impressive. I thought yov were a child, but you turned out to be distinguished competition."

Harry smiled in earnest this time, "Thank you, Viktor." He said. "I'm sorry your chance at glory is being muddled by a typo in the roster."

Viktor waved him off. "It's no worry, Potter." He said. His diction and phrasing was cut up both by his accent and the fact he was still learning the language. "It would be in poor sport to whine about accidents. Besides, I think that I've found something worth more then eternal glory."

He smiled at Tracey when he said this. Tracey beamed at him in return before looking back at Hestia. "I'm so glad to see you out and about, Hestia." She said. "I've been keeping Malfoy on a leash, but I saw a bunch of Gryffindors talking about 'teaching you guys a lesson', so I've been a little worried."

"Thank you, Trace, but it's okay." Hestia said. "We're safe."

"I would fear for those who approach you, personally" Viktor rumbled. "I saw your sister rip apart the fangirl at lunch. She's a true viking woman, that one."

"I would have expected Granger of all people to know better," Tracey laughed. "Everyone knows that pissing off Flora is like sticking a finger into a hornet's nest. It's begging for pain." She spied something out of the corner of her eye and pointed a finger, "Speaking of Granger..."

Harry followed the finger. Hermione had put a lot of effort into pimping out for the ball; she looked attractive enough though some of it was cosmetics. Currently she was engaged in a clearly sexual dance with Ron, who was clad in embarrassing hand-me-downs.

"Somebody couldn't be less subtle if she was trying," Tracey scoffed. "Really, if she's headed for jealously, she shouldn't be dancing with Ronald."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Those two deserve each other, frankly. They hate each other then they need each other. And I want no further part in it."

Tracey offered her hand. "Tracey Davis, I don't know if we've been formally introduced. Quickly, I believe your innocent of the goblet incident and I owe you for second year."

"Second year?" Harry echoed, shaking her hand.

"The basilisk," Tracey elaborated. "No disrespect to those who did get petrified, but if the heir had managed to get all the muggleborns blood traitors like me would be next. I had a few near misses before you killed the monster."

"You're one of the only people who's really acknowledged that, much less said thanks." Hestia said unhappily.

Tracey scowled. "Ugh, don't remind me. This school is a pack of sanctimonious hypocrites and bigoted jackasses. If I hadn't been worried about you and Flora I would have told mum to ditch dad and run for the hills with me ages ago."

"This is certainly not the school I had imagined when it was called 'the best in Britian,'" Viktor agreed, pulling up a chair next to Tracey. "Staying here has turned into a rather unpleasant experience. I have had some nosey individuals asking me about my school, as if its a breeding ground for soldiers for _their _dark lord." He shook his head. "The Headmaster has a very simplistic worldview."

"Can you tell me about Drumstrang?" Harry asked casually. If he was going to look for different schools to transfer to, this was as good a place as any to start.

Viktor looked pleased, and began to fill Harry in on the course selection and other things while Tracey and Hestia made small talk about their recent lives. All in all, it was probably the most enjoyable days Harry had ever experienced.

Of course, the Tri Wizard Touranment wasn't done yet.

**End Chapter**

**(shrugs) I don't see Viktor a lot in the fanfiction I trawl, so why not? Besides, I thought it would be nice for Harry, Hestia and Flora have another person sticking up for them.**

**Read and Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Rage**

**Tyene: That's your plan? ...huh, you've actually put some thought into this.**

**Wanda: What's that supposed to mean?**

**Tyene: I rather thought you were just emptying all your thoughts onto a page with little in regards to structure.**

**Wanda: Oh you little - I can put you back in a coma, you know! I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 3: Bonding**

"If I hear another word about how you 'don't deserve this', Granger, Weasley, you can consider your detention tripled," Professor Snape snarled when Ron Weasley started to complain again. "And Granger, I shall see to it personally that you are banned from the library."

"You can't do that," Hermione said hotly from where she was scrubbing away at a cauldron with a muggle sponge. If she had been able to use magic, this job would be far less stressful and stench-inducing. Of course, Snape had immediately taken her and Ron's wand once he had brought them into the dungeons.

"I can't? Am I or am I not a teacher here, Ms Granger?" Snape asked coldly. "For your cheek, I've decided that you are only allowed to visit the library in the evenings. And personally, I think you have a lot of nerve – complaining about being punished after attempting hexing a student who hadn't spoken to you all evening."

Hermione's face flamed while Ron grumbled, "Don't make this worse Hermione."

As far as he was concerned, this was Hermione's fault. After they had been dancing together – Ron was sure they finally had a connection now that Harry wasn't standing between them, attracting her with his boy-who-lived glory – Hermione had suddenly stormed off in a rage.

She had been heading towards Hestia and Harry, who had been eating and laughing with Krum. Krum! He should be the one eating with his idol, not Harry! Didn't that prat have enough as it was? Ron was sure that Harry had done this to spite him, especially after the Howler his mother had sent him.

When he'd complained to Ginny, however, he had gotten slapped. Hard.

"Leave Harry alone, Ron." Ginny had warned him. "We've screwed up enough for him. If I catch you trying to hex him, I'm going to curse you, then I'm telling mum. I'm hoping that Harry will forgive me someday for being too afraid to speak up and I refuse to let you ruin that for us."

Ron was furious after she had turned around and left. Now Harry was controlling his sister! It made him seethe and go looking for the boy after classes, planning to hex him and make him confess to having manipulated Ginny's crush to make himself look better, but he never found him.

But during the ball, Ron had seen his opportunity when Hermione pulled her wand on Hestia. But suddenly their wands were ripped from their hands and the two former members of the Golden Trio turned around to see a disapproving Snape. "Detention, both of you, for attacking another student unprovoked."

Hestia had turned around at that, looking frightened and surprised upon realizing she was a target. Harry, Krum and his date – some Slytherin skank who's name neither Hermione nor Ron had bothered to catch – all looked furious. Harry had wrapped an arm around Hestia's waist, causing Hermione to go scarlet with incoherent emotions, and left the ballroom with her.

Krum had given Ron a look of disgust and contempt before leading his date away, muttering something about being in 'terrible company'.

Snape scoffed; Weasley's ears were burning as he reminisced. _I would hope that would teach him a lesson, but Gryffindors like him are far to thick-headed to understand that he's in the wrong. _The potions professor thought. He was unpleasantly reminded of a group of similar students who had tormented him in his youth. _At the very least I could say about Black, he has _half _a conscience. That seems to be more then these two possess._

A cauldron fell over, causing Hermione to immediately light up like a firework and start berating Ron for messing things up. Ron put up some protests, but Hermione was more violent then the redhead and cowed him into submission.

Snape rolled his eyes at their antics and returned his attention to the textbook he was editing; not only were they making their job take longer but they were keeping him away from the far more interesting ways he could be spending his evening.

Such as outsourcing potential new jobs. It was beginning to occur to Snape to give up Hogwarts as a bad job. He had looked at Dumbledore to be his chance for redemption for his childhood foolishness, but the man had proven to be less of a 'Lord of Light' than everyone believed him to be. Plus, Snape fully believed that once Potter left – and he had no doubt that he would, perhaps taking the dog and wolf with him – things would start to fall apart around here.

Not because there was anything especially special about the Potter boy, but because Dumbledore had forced him to be a linchpin in one too many of his schemes. Without the pawn, it was difficult to change the game. It had been the same as the boy's mother – Voldemort had looked down on her as less than nothing, and she had been his downfall.

"You idiot!" Hermione raged, and with an exasperated sigh Snape threw up a silencing ward around the two.

"I should have handed them over to Filch," He muttered.

**With Harry, Hestia and Flora**

Harry and his two friends sat comfortably inside the hotel they had stumbled across, waiting for Sirius to arrive. Not long after they had left the ball after Hermione's attempted hexing, a bird had swooped down an dropped off a letter for Harry.

As it turns out, Sirius had been in touch with Remus and was now freaking out over his godson's welfare, demanding that Harry respond as soon as possible as if he were afraid that the pup was on the cusp of suicide. Chuckling gently, Harry had penned a quick response telling him to meet him and his new friends in muggle London – it would be safer then going into Hogsmeade where he was more likely to be recognized, especially considering that Dumbledore was on the lookout for anyone close to Harry in order to turn his current situation around.

Flora was currently pouring through the movie magazine, taking in the part of the world that part of her had always wanted to see. "Aliens?" She asked, pointing to one particular cover. "You haven't actually _been _in outer space, have you?"

Harry chuckled. "The first manned mission to the moon happened quite a few years ago, actually."

Flora's eyes flashed. "You're having me."

"I'm not. There are plenty of documentaries and such to prove it."

Hestia looked at him in amazement. "That's incredible, Harry."

Harry nodded. "Wizards can transfigure teacups and bewitch frogs, but mundane people have their own sort of magic."

Flora flipped through the movie listings again. "What does 'only in theatres' mean? Does that mean its some sort of play?"

Harry forced himself to hold back a chuckle. He knew that Flora was bound to take that as an insult towards her limited knowledge of magic, despite what he was really laughing at was the pureblooded folk's incredibly narrow view of the world. "It means that there are certain buildings who show movies for the first time, before they're distributed on tapes for people to buy." He explained. "There's a huge screen and seating for several dozen people, as well as snacks and such that you can buy beforehand to eat during the movie."

"I think I'd like to see that," Flora decided. "At some point. It's not like we're learning anything useful at Hogwarts anyway."

"True," Harry snorted. "The teacher's seem to be more interested in making me 'Dumbledore's man, through and through' then actually teaching me anything useful."

A knock on the door. Harry released the locking charm and Sirius bounded in, quickly sweeping Harry up in a hug. Flora hurriedly closed the door so that no one could see or hear what was going on inside.

"Hey there pup," Sirius said in relief, "I'm glad you're alright." Putting him down, he anxiously added, "You _are _okay, right?"

"I'm as okay as I can be under the circumstances, Sirius." Harry said, smiling weakly. The overt gesture of affection had left him somewhat in shock – he had never really been hugged like that before. Certainly not by either of his 'guardians'. Trying to take his mind off that thought, he waved his hands over his two girls, "Sirius, this is Hestia and Flora."

Hestia smiled nervously, "Hello mister Black. We know you're innocent." She looked downcast when she added, "We would have told someone but no one believes a snake like us with that sort of information."

Sirius looked between them for a moment. As a younger man, that would have been his knee-jerk reaction. However, the years in Azkaban and months on the run had forced him to re-examine his life and his past. Quickly he had become ashamed of how he had behaved as a child – even though he avoided being like his family, he had still been an unholy terror to those unlucky enough to resemble them.

Some had deserved it...others hadn't. What distressed Sirius the most now was that he wasn't sure how many of his 'prank' victims had honestly been terrible people, or if they had suffered the same categorizing he had been desperate to escape himself. More disturbingly, perhaps that torment had been the very thing that drove some of them away, or even into the arms of Voldemort.

Sirius had vowed in blood that he would never be that person again. For now, he would start with Harry's new friends.

"Thank you," He said amicably, sitting down on a chair across from them. "That was more then I got fro a lot of my colleages, and a good chunk of them were in Gryffindor. Outside of the school, that doesn't seem to matter much."

The three kids nodded at that. "From what I've heard," Sirius continued, scowling at that, "You lot haven't been having the grandest time this year."

Flora's face darkened rapidly. "There are exactly two people in Hogwarts that I don't hold a massive grudge against right now. Given that it holds over 400 students, I'd say that isn't a good sign."

"They've treated Harry awfully," Hestia agreed, "Especially those two prats who claimed to be his best friends. Even though he clearly didn't enter himself, they just found another thing to attack him about – the very thing that allowed him to _survive _that first task!"

Sirius gritted his teeth at the reminder. "And here I had thought those two were good matches for Harry," He grumbled. "I suppose the 'smartest witch of our age' is smart enough to fool people."

"Oh, _her_." Flora scathed. "Everyone props up how wonderful she is, ignoring that she's not that wonderful when you look closely, and often engages in short sighted and petty behaviour. She's a Gryffindor Pansy, in my opinion."

Sirius sighed, "What can I do about this Harry? How can I help you?"

"To be honest Sirius, as soon as the Tri Wizard Tournament ends I want to withdraw from Hogwarts and move away." Harry explained, a scowl written across his face. "I've had about my full of this place; the only reasons I can even begin to imagine sticking around for are either catching Pettigrew or finding some way to take Hestia and Flora with me."

"Elopement would work fine for that," Sirius suggested jokingly, only for his eyebrows to rise when Hestia and Harry blushed while Flora avoided looking directly at him. "Either that or you can call in a Life Debt."

"A what now?"

"A twisted and barbaric pure blood custom that nevertheless may serve of some use," Sirius responded. "The process goes in that when you save someone's life, they are indebited to you and you can claim restitution."

Harry looked revolted. "What good person would demand a reward for doing the right thing?"

"Like I said – pureblood custom," Sirius said dryly. Flora snorted in agreement. "I heard from Remus what happened between you three in the Astronomy Tower." Hestia flushed and lowered her head. "That isn't a criticism," He added hastily, seeing Flora's hackles raise, "I'm just saying that under certain pureblooded laws, especially the type that Riddle and his followers love so much, Harry could technically walk off with the two of you and there's not a single damn thing the Carrows could do about it."

"That sounds...very vicious under the right circumstances," Harry said, disturbed.

"And it is," Sirius agreed, "When I was young, I tended to see Life Debt claims be used as threats to acquire land, alliances, the works. It tended to be quite unpleasant for the people involved."

"Unless you wanted to leave," Hestia said in sudden realization, "And never see your parents again. Then it would almost be a blessing."

Sirius nodded, while Harry looked between the two girls.

Flora held up a hand as Harry's green eyes flicked to her. "Harry, before you even say anything, if I had to decide between my fucked up, torture happy parents and a dogged nice guy like you, I would have my bags packed and be out the door before you could even finish your sentence." She informed him.

Hestia nodded in furious agreement. "Well, that's settled then," Harry said, looking somewhat bemused but mostly happy that a chance to rescue his two friends from the claws of their vicious parents had literally dropped into his lap.

"I'll file the paperwork for you," Sirius said. "The goblins seem to realize that I'm innocent, because they never froze my faults. By their standards, that's as clear a vote of confidence as you can get. By tomorrow, you two girls are free as birds."

Hestia started crying at that, while Flora looked away again as though trying to contain her own tears. Harry gently took Hestia's hand. When he moved to do the same with Flora, the other girl initially pulled away as though bitten. But when she looked into his eyes for a moment longer, eyes wet but stubbornly refusing to cry, she tentatively placed her hand in his.

Harry understood. When every touch was usually preceded or followed by pain, it was hard to trust anyone enough to hold onto them. The first time Hermione had hugged him, it had scared him to death. While that memory was now soured by the bitterness of her betrayal, it was forgotten and replaced by this new moment of happiness and comfort.

"Speaking of which, Harry, I'll have another look over everything that Lily and James left you," Sirius continued, though he was sure the kid wasn't entirely paying attention to him. "I'm sure there's a lot you haven't seen yet due to your age, but with your permission I'll sell some stuff off so we can get out of here and buy you a new house somewhere else."

"Flora mentioned that this morning," Harry remarked. "She's pretty clever." Flora shook her head, but a fleeting smile crossed her face. "Yes, please do that Sirius."

"Going to stay here tonight?"

"Well as of right now Hogwarts is about as welcoming as Azkaban so yes, we will be." Harry said flatly, his voice becoming cold. Sirius was reminded of Lily's reactions whenever he, James or Peter took a prank too far. "I have no choice but to turn up for the tasks, but after that I see absolutely no reason to stay."

"I understand that, pup." Sirius said with a sigh. "If I were younger, I would fight for you to stay – that place had been my sanctuary from my hateful, blood-purist family, the place where I could escape them and be my own person. But now it's plainly obvious that Hogwarts isn't that place anymore, and I care too much about you to make you stay in a place that makes you miserable. Just be sure to put up some notice-me-not charms in the unlikely event that the Carrows or other wizards are wandering around this area looking for you."

"I will," Harry said, a smile retaking his face in record time. Hearing Sirius say that he mattered in so many words gave him a feeling of warmth and happiness unlike any before, though it was different from the feelings he got around Hestia or Flora. Likely because Sirius was acting like a parent, not a friend or a confident.

After Sirius left to deal with Gringotts and the paperwork, Harry had pulled out a long bed for himself and the sisters and turned on a movie. Figuring that a horror movie wouldn't be appreciated just yet, he instead decided to show off some of the Disney animated flicks that he had occasionally been able to see at Fig's house back when he lived with the Dursleys.

Hestia and Flora had been in awe of the beautiful music, colour and visuals. About halfway through, Hestia was laughing and singing along with the songs slightly off-key while Flora affectionately rolled her eyes and ate all the popcorn that Harry had prepared. As Harry had suspected Flora was quite engaged in the experience, he could tell by the look of concentration that she was trying to commit what she saw to memory.

"That was so sweet!" Hestia gushed when Belle's love brought the beast back to life and broke the curse. "Are they all like this Harry?"

Harry chuckled. "We can do a marathon, if you'd like."

"I would," Hestia gushed. She had changed out of her dress for some casual muggle clothes they had picked up prior to settling in the hotel room. "Flora, didn't you like it?" She asked her sister.

"Just because I'm not gushing doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it," Flora complained.

"Of course! You're far above expressing such plebeian emotions," Hestia said teasingly, causing Flora to make a rude hand gesture at her.

"I'm just interested in _how _the mundanes do this," Flora said, waving her hand to indicate the final scenes in the movie. "They clearly aren't live people, and yet they inspire the same emotions. I suppose these are drawings, but they look nothing like the ones I've seen over the years."

"It's called animation," Harry explained, "A certain kind of art form. I'm pretty sure some colleges have courses on that sort of thing that you could do."

Flora hummed and thought about that. She and her twin had zero incentive to remain exclusively in the wizarding world, especially since their experiences with it had been brutally tainted both by their parents and by the bullying they had received at the school. If anything, after seeing this movie Flora was interested in seeing how the mundanes lived and worked. Perhaps she would even like to try her hand at this 'animation' business that Harry was describing.

So as the three settled in, they continued to watch the animated movies that Disney had so far released. It was a friendly and ultimately intimate experience, since the three who had once believed that any closeness was impossible given their pasts had fallen asleep together comfortably, Harry having been moved inbetween the twins due to having to get more snacks mid-marathon.

While they slept, light flashes of their magic popped above their heads, like three strings tying themselves together. No one saw it, so no one realized the significance yet – especially not a manipulative and meddling old man who would have been very upset if he had known that his 'marriage' plan had gone up in smoke.

**Back At Hogwarts**

There was more going on in Albus Dumbledore's head then simple senility.

While many had claimed him to be a faultless Leader of the Light, a doddering old fool clinging to childish ideas, or a morally corrupt chessmaster, what Albus Dumbledore believed himself to be was a father – a father with many children, who were the students at his school.

The root of this strange but strangling mentality of his dated back to his youth. Due to the death and imprisonment of his mother and father respectively, Dumbledore had been given the responsibility of caring for his mentally ill sister. He had greatly resented it and her at first, seeing it as a block in his planned path to greatness. When Gellert had came around, he had gleefully abandoned his duties to bond with that kindred spirit. Gellert was everything Dumbledore wanted in a friend and companion – strong, intelligent, and enlightened – wanting to drag the world into new heights by shredding the things he perceived as holding them down.

But then...tragedy struck. A confrontation with his younger brother had sparked Gellert's possessive rage and the three had duelled. And in the end, Ariana was killed when she came down in an attempt to stop the fight.

Dumbledore had been devastated. His brother had blamed him and Gellert had fled, taking the girl's death upon his conscience. Dumbledore believed that he had failed as a father, had failed Ariana.

Gellert possessed the same parental mentality, and held similar feelings regarding the death – but he took it in a twisted direction. He believed that the world of the children could only be safe if he, the father, removed all potential dangers.

And as he grew more paranoid and more aggressive, the list of dangers grew with it until finally Dumbledore was forced to confront, duel and imprison the man he had grown such a close attachment to.

So when Dumbledore had joined Hogwarts, he had made it his personal goal to see to the care of these children, hundreds of Ariana replacements and duplicates that needed to flourish and be guided. That was why Dumbledore sought out the position of Headmaster, and while he wanted to take on the position of Minister to ensure that all of 'his children' were kept safe, a small part of him was worried about loosing course as he had as a child.

And so he taught the children to be Light and to fear the darkness. Of course, few of the purebloods had been enthused by his politics. Many children fell from Albus's hands thanks to their machinations and those of Riddle, who loved and feared for no one but himself. Each time, Albus felt a shard of that grief from loosing Ariana.

So when two students, Lily and James lost their lives leaving their little child behind, Albus decided that he would pull all the stops to ensure that _his _children were never lost again.

Sirius Black...the boy had needed to be curtailed if he was to be a part of making the perfect future for these children. He was too reckless and wouldn't agree with that Dumbledore thought was best – he thought that the children should choose for themselves, for better or for worse. They had actually argued about this the day that the man's brother Regulus went missing.

Dumbledore however was much older then Sirius and knew by experience that when people had the power to choose, they chose wrong! So someone else should make some choices for them to ensure that they headed down the right path. And Dumbledore believed he had seen enough of the world to know what people needed.

The Dursleys...Dumbledore knew their cruelty, but he didn't want to risk Harry growing up spoiled, or like Draco Malfoy. Surely having to duck a cast iron frying pan every once and a while was a small price to pay to avoid such a fate.

Hagrid was a good man, so he could coax Harry into the wizarding world. Plus, a few words around the school plus his experience with Tom Riddle meant that Hagrid would pass his intense dislike of the house down to Harry, which would in turn prevent him from going into the house.

When Harry came in with Ron Weasley at his side, Albus was incredibly pleased. Nearly the day after he told the redhaired boy in secret to keep an eye on his new friend, to tell him if he thought anything was amiss with the boy-who-lived.

But what Dumbledore believed to be the big break was Hermione Granger.

The girl had an awful, grating know-it-all personality, yes she was an aggressive girl who doled out cruel and unusual 'punishments' as she saw fit. Yes, Harry would probably be miserable with her – but think of what a marriage between them would say! A child of a noble house such as Potter, choosing a muggleborn as his bride. While Hermione had the personality of a peacock, her intelligence (book – wise, at least) was incredible for someone of her stature. She could serve as a sign to the dark ones that muggles and their children could stand as equals in society!

Dumbledore had planned to slip a marriage contract into the Potter vaults. He had researched the Granger family tree extensively and found, several generations back, a squib from a magical family. That was enough to fulfill the terms of said contract, and he had planned that after facing the adversity of the tournament together, the two would marry over the summer.

And then that was shot to hell thanks to the Carrow girls.

While Dumbledore didn't know it yet, the contract rotting in the Potter vault had turned to dust that night.

Though Dumbledore was sure that Hermione could still be an active part in Harry's life – perhaps a second wife, if he reactivated the 'House Restoration' laws that he had been previously blocking in the Ministry – he knew that any mutual trust that had been building up between then had been shattered by poor planning.

But Dumbledore had plenty of contingencies and other plans in mind for his children. It wasn't a total loss – Ginny Weasley or Cho Chang, who had muggle parents quite recently in both family lines (though closer in Chang's case, since her father was muggleborn as opposed to Ginerva's great grandfather) would make a good match for him as well.

Hermione Granger would, once again, be shunted into his 'plan B' for her future. At least this way, the Weasleys would still be satisfied – surely the obvious tension between Ron and the girl signified a possible romantic future.

But for now, Dumbledore had more serious concerns in mind. Mainly, how to get Harry back in the school and convince him that what he was doing was for the best!

Then it hit him – the second task.

Harry had possessed a crush on the Chang girl when he entered school. Surely he could be lured back when he realized that the 'person he would miss the most', a soul mate perhaps?, was being left behind in his rushed reaction to a simple error in judgement by his friends. After that, if he stayed to chat with the pretty young girl, Dumbledore could discreetly slip the two some candy that would make them friendly with the Gryffindors in that year again.

Of course, currently Chang was dating Cedric, but the Hufflepuff greatly looked up to the headmaster – Dumbledore could easily persuade him to break up with her for the 'greater good' – especially since the dear girl was rather on the high-maintenance side.

(in other words, Cho was rather emotionally insecure and possessed low self esteem due to social pressure being put on her as a half blood. She appreciated Cedric giving her attention but never forced more out of him then he wanted to give – but Dumbledore could tell it annoyed Cedric how fragile the girl was.)

Turning his eyes towards one of his fans (perhaps Alicia?) to sweeten the deal would ensure Cedric's co-opperation. Dumbledore smiled, he had a plan to get things back on track.

**End Chapter**

**Yeah. I don't like Dumbledore, but he's not a 'haha, I'm a dick for the sake of it!' kind of guy - that's Voldemort, who's more a blank amalgamation of racism and blind hate. Something that bothers me is in a lot of stories there's absolutely no rational reason for Dumbledore to act the way he does. It's just ha!, I'm secretly a dick just 'cause. **

**I think that Dumbledore wants to be good, but he has such a warped view on it (the whole 'grandfather' shtick of his) that ultimately he's just as hurtful to the students and Harry as Voldemort. (bring something a serial killer wants into a school with eleven year olds. what's the worst that could happen?) I think that Ariana's death had an impact on him that made him think he couldn't 'fail' another kid like that. Thanks to his relationship with James in the Order, I decided that Albus sees Harry as a replacement Ariana, so he wants Harry to (in his mind) have the perfect life AFTER he's defeated the menace that is Voldemort.**

**Hence, why he's manipulating Cho Chang. Typically its Ginny who's in this position but Dumbledore doesn't want to do that here because she's a pureblood (despite being from a family of 'blood traitors). What Dumbledore wants to do is use 'examples' (instead of violence or revolution) to 'convince' the kids under his control (and by extension their parents) that muggleborns and half bloods are equally valuable, especially since someone like Harry (who despite having a muggleborn mother comes from a very old pureblood house, as you do) sees them as very important. Poor Cho is going to get the short end of the stick not unlike Harry thanks to that - she likes him, but doesn't recuperate his initial crush due to not knowing him well.**

**Unfortunately what Dumbledore does is just facilitate another kind of prejudice (the Slytherin one), giving Voldemort more followers in those who resent being the social pariahs of the school, especially because the Headmaster makes it clear that he agrees with the viewpoint that the Snakes have to be 'pushed down'. Plus, that Dumbledore THINKS is the best and what's ACTUALLY the best (plus, and quite often the same, the things that people actually WANT) tend to be mutually exclusive due to his warped view on the world. Which is why the bullying has gone unchecked (he wants to accommodate the snakes in some ways so they'll 'redeem' themselves) why he's so fixated on controlling and sending Harry's life in certain directions, and why he's doing what he's doing. I wanted things to be a little more complicated then the usual black and white 'Albus is evil/manipulative/harmful' fare. At the very least, I wanted to give a legitimate reason behind his conniving.**

**Read and Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Rage**

**Wanda: I have far too many thoughts in my head sometimes. I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 4: Hostage**

The second task was approaching, so Harry, Hestia and Flora temporarily returned to their new rooms in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts.

The school hadn't changed much since they had left. Hermione had immediately come storming out to get Harry, forcing him to use the invisibility cloak to hide him and protect Hestia from her bitchiness. The three of them had been all but confined to the Room of Requirement to avoid her. While Flora was more then happy to rip her apart again a la the Lunch Scene as it was now known, Harry didn't want to draw too much attention to himself prior to the task.

"So the second task is hostages under the lake." Flora said. She rolled her eyes. "A Scottish lake, in February. I'm starting to believe this is not a school, but some Darwinnian death trap meant to weed out the 'weak' from the gene pool."

"Under that logic, both Draco and Ron should be dead," Harry said mildly, earning a rare laugh from the violent twin.

"Right," Flora chuckled. "And most of the other pure bloods. They talk a big game, but they've never had to fight for anything. Even when they attack, they expect to get victory straight away. They're all weak from inbreeding and coddling. Any strong mundane-born or half blood could knock them flat on their asses blindfolded."

"I'll take that as a vote of confidence," Harry said.

Hestia smiled, rolling the golden egg between her hands. She was the one who had figured out you had to put it underwater to understand its message.

"Now, as much as it would make sense for either you or Hestia to by my hostages, considering that you're my only friends here," He went on, "I seriously doubt Dumbledore will do so. Besides, I wouldn't want you put in danger even if I thought it would be you."

"We know, Harry." Hestia said warmly.

"Who do you figure he's going to make your hostage?" Flora asked dryly. "Ginny Weasley seems like the obvious choice."

"But remember what she said?" Hestia said to her sister. "She said she would rather stand back and hope that she and her family could reconnected with Harry years later. She doesn't want to stir the pot anymore."

Harry was surprised to hear that. While the betrayal was too sudden for him to truly want to reconnect with the Weasleys, he appreciated their guilt (at least, Fred and George and Ginny's guilt) and their decision to leave him be. Too bad Ron and Hermione didn't feel the same way.

"But it's Dumbledore we're talking about," Flora pointed out. "He probably won't care what Ginny thinks or wants, he'll stick her down there if he thinks it'll serve the 'greater purpose' of keeping Harry close and within Britain."

Harry sighed. "I'll rescue whoever Dumbledore decides to make my hostage – but I'll punch him square in his crooked old nose if he makes it Hermione." He said flatly.

"Are you kidding? If he makes it Granger, you should just leave her there." Flora declared angrily. "Screw that self-righeous bitch. Maybe a few hours down in freezing water would curb her attitude problem."

"Flora, Hestia, how should I go about holding my breath under water for an hour?" Harry asked to pull them back on track. As much as he appreciated Flora's protectiveness, he wanted to focus on the problem.

"There are some spells, like the bubblehead charm." Hestia said thoughtfully, "Though that one could be punctured, so that's dangerous..."

"We can try a transfiguration." Flora suggested. "Transform you into some aquatic creature, like a dolphin or a shark. Though it would be difficult for you to get your hostage without biting a limb off."

"Maybe a partial transformation?" Hestia suggested. "Tracey said that Krum's planning to do something like that for the task. Sounds like a good idea to me."

Harry nodded. "I like the sound of that. It could offer extra protection in case things go south. Knowing my luck, they probably will."

Flora smiled dryly. "That can't be denied." She said.

**In Dumbledore's Office**

"But you promised me him!" Hermione shrieked, slamming both her hands on top of the desk. "You said that we would be together, it was our destiny!"

"Now, now, Hermione," Dumbledore said soothingly. "The marriage isn't an impossibility yet."

"Then why is that Ravenclaw tart Harry's hostage, when it should be me!?" Hermione demanded. "I'm the one who's been guiding him, helping him this entire time! I'm always the one who's given him the solutions! He needs me, and he's mine!"

"My dear girl, I have reasons for everything," Dumbledore said in his infuriating grandfatherly tone of voice. Scowling, Hermione flung herself down onto the chair opposite to him and glared, waiting for him to continue.

"Harry has been extremely upset over this situation," Dumbledore went on, "And he's been blaming everyone involved, as many people do under such terrible stress. We need to give him time and incentive to calm down and think objectively."

"Time!? The more time I wait, the longer the death eater slags have to sink their hooks into him!" Hermione snapped. "I bet they've been drugging him with love and complicity potions ever since he started walking about on his own. I never should have let him leave that night!"

Dumbledore could have pointed out that none of Harry's behavior matched up with someone under the influence of potions, but he knew that Hermione would just ignore him. "Perhaps, but we cannot force Harry to return to us. He has to come willingly."

"I gave him a huge opportunity during the ball," Hermione said bitterly, "But he didn't even look at me once. As if _Carrow _could give him something I couldn't! After everything I've done for him, how could he possibly look somewhere else?"

"Don't worry, miss Granger." Dumbledore responded. "This is a mere playground spat. Once Harry sees what he's giving up, he'll calm down and apologize to you and mister Weasley for shunning you over a misunderstanding."

"All the more reason for _me _to be his hostage!" Hermione insisted, standing up and beginning to pace angrily once again. "It would break the spell they've put over him, I'm sure it will! We're meant to be, Professor, our _souls _speak to each other! Make me his hostage!"

"I'm afraid the decision has already been made among the judges." Dumbledore said, his voice serene but firm. Hermione made a noise like a cat who's dinner was late, glaring at the man. "It's out of my hands now. However, afterwards I shall endeavor to set up some situations as you described them."

Privately, Dumbledore recognized that any chance of Hermione being Harry's wife was shot. Well, being his primary wife was, at least. Having recognized this, Dumbledore had reopened talks with Fudge and the Ministry body over the Legacy Preservation Act, that would allow purebloods or those from 'noble' houses multiple wives. This way, Harry could be granted a discrepancy such as the Chang girl, while still bringing Hermione into prominence in the magical world.

In her current state, Hermione would utterly refuse anything less then being Harry's head wife, but Dumbledore hoped to sway her should the law go through. The girl was stubborn, but given her worship of him he could, in time, convince her that it was for the greater good.

Ronald would be upset, of course, but he could be easily placated by another arrangement with a more lovely girl.

"You have to do something about the Carrows," Hermione was ranting, snapping Dumbledore out of his thoughts. "Can't you expel them?"

"Not merely on hearsay, miss Granger." Dumbledore sighed. The girl had been pestering him about this for a long time. "Especially because their parents are Noble – even if they don't care about their children, they won't accept the disgrace of their expulsion without a fight."

"And Dark Magic isn't enough?" Hermione demanded.

"As far as we all know, neither girl has ever caused any permanent harm to any of their fellow students." Dumbledore answered simply. "Therefore, I have no legitimate reasons to expel them."

Hermione stormed out of the meeting not long afterwards, leaving Dumbledore with a headache. He believed the girl was the key to changing the wizarding world, but she could be quite a difficult person to handle.

**The Second Task, at the Lake**

"Did you hear? Cedric broke up with Cho!"

"I saw him with Alicia Spinnet yesterday!"

Harry had a sinking feeling about the task.

"The poor thing," Fellow Ravenclaw Megan Jones said sympathetically. "She was so sure that they were going to get married and live together forever, and now this. I hope she hexes the living daylights out of him once she stops crying."

Harry wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to have known about his crush of Cho Chang, and the timing of the sudden breakup was far too fortuitous.

Hestia, who was standing next to him with a notice-me-not charm to deflect most of the unwanted attention away from herself, whispered, "Do you think...?"

"Yeah." Harry muttered. "I'm pretty sure Cho Chang has been selected to be my hostage. I had a crush on her for a little while."

Hestia frowned slightly. She tried to hide it, but Harry noticed it. "It dissolved a little while ago." He said. "When I saw her with Cedric. I realized I didn't really know her, so I couldn't decide right away that I loved her."

"I understand, Harry." Hestia said, blinking. "I-I didn't meant to come across as clingy."

"You didn't," Harry responded, smiling at her.

Flora rolled her eyes at this, but she smiled just a bit. She was also partially hiding herself at Hestia's behest, though she usually stalked through the halls not caring who sees her. "Are you ready Harry?" She asked mildly.

Harry winced a bit. While he had managed the transformation, it was still quite painful for him. He wasn't looking to it. "Yes." When Flora raised an eyebrow, he admitted, "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Good thinking, Harry. Overconfidence topples giants." The girl said. Hestia squeezed his hand in encouragement.

"I can't believe Dumbledore is dragging Cho into this," Harry said angrily. "What I hate the most about this bloody boy-who-lived nonsense is other people getting hurt because of me. I bet that's why Cedric broke up with her – so she could be my hostage!"

Hestia frowned sympathetically, both for Harry and the absent Cho. Flora glowered at another sign of Dumbledore's callousness.

Harry expelled a long breath, saving his anger and his energy. "Let's go," He said quietly. The three then finished walking to the lake.

Harry refused to acknowledge Cedric when the champion said hello – he saw the guy for what he was, another person blindly going along with Dumbledore's will no matter who it hurt. Fleur, however, gave him a polite nod of acknowledgement. She had been impressed by how he had handled the dragon, seeing him as something other then a little boy now.

Viktor, on the other hand, greeted him in a friendly manner while his gaze was fixed on the lake.

"They didn't take her away?" Viktor asked, gesturing towards Hestia.

Harry shook his head. "I believe the Headmaster didn't have us dating in mind," He explained.

Viktor's heavyset shoulders were tense. "They took Tracey away in the middle of the night." He said angrily. "Now, they've flung her into icy waters and claim she'll be 'safe'. It's as if they've forgotten why the tournament was cancelled! One wrong move and I could loose her forever."

Harry looked sympathetically at him. "I understand," He said, quietly so the judges couldn't overhear. "If it would help, I'll could help you by keeping an eye out. Two people have a better chance at fending off any dangers that might crop up."

Viktor gave him a relieved smile. "I'm grateful, Potter." He rumbled. "Together it is."

When the whistle blew, Harry transformed.

The transfiguration he had eventually decided on, with the twin's help, was a bottlenose dolphin. It was a fast creature, and surprisingly powerful given its friendly and adorable nature.

Viktor had transformed into a great white shark. Harry knew intellectually that the Drumstrang champion had more experience then him, but he was still stunned. Even for seventh years, that was a difficult feat of magic.

While Fleur and Cedric peeled off in different directions, Harry and Viktor stuck together as they made their way through the dark water.

It didn't take them long to find the hostages as a team – sure enough, their hostages were Cho and Tracey – and it didn't take long to realize something was wrong.

A little girl with silver hair – she must be a relative of Fleur's, Harry decided – was twisting in her bonds, as though she wasn't fully unconscious.

Harry cast a quick glance around. Fleur was nowhere to be seen, and there was blood in the water. The Mermen were coming back.

Harry turned his head towards Viktor and pointed his nose at the little girl. To his relief, the other champion reacted instantly to the impending danger. The transfigured shark swam over to her and bit through the restraints. The child immediately stretched out and clamped onto his fins as he bolted towards the surface.

Harry busied himself nipping through Cho's restraints. Once he had done that, he moved over to Tracey and did the same, just in case Viktor was held up on the way down.

Cedric found himself set upon by the Mermen. Harry was tempted to go and help him, but Viktor's return and subtle movement from Cho reminded him what his priority should be. The two promptly hurried back towards the surface.

Hestia and Flora were waiting for him, undoing the transformation and hauling him _and _Cho back onto the deck. Viktor pulled Tracey up himself. The redhead was coughing up water while Viktor cradled her, a look of intense worry set upon his face.

Hestia put a blanket over Cho's shoulders to help her warm up. "Thank you, Harry." The Chinese girl said softly. "You're very brave."

Harry shook his head. "I would do it again if necessary," He said. "You don't have to say thanks."

Cho smiled weakly at him. "I hope someday I meet someone like you," She said. When Harry blinked, she continued somewhat abashed, "I noticed you had a crush on me last year. I didn't respond because I was already dating C-Cedric." She winced. "I think you're really sweet, Harry." She glanced up at the two Carrows. "If you weren't taken already, I'd be happy to date you. Hestia's really lucky."

"Thank you, Cho. I'm sorry you got dragged into my drama," Harry said unhappily. "You deserve a lot better then what you got."

Cho blushed in response before tugging her blanket closer.

Harry overheard Fleur frantically thanking Viktor for rescuing Gabrielle, her little sister, from a terrible watery death. When Viktor said he had help, Harry was promptly subjected to a fierce hug and several kisses from the older Veela. Flora looked annoyed, but Hestia smiled and said she was glad that the little girl was alright.

"This is bullshit." Viktor growled.

"Viktor?" Tracey asked blearily. Gabrielle wasn't the only one who's protection charm hadn't worked properly – the red haired Slytherin was fighting off waves of hypothermia.

"I entered this tournament prepared to risk my own life," Viktor said curtly. "I did not agree to risk the lives of the people I cared about, for the sake of eternal glory."

Tracey managed a loving smile at this.

Harry and Fleur both nodded in agreement.

Dumbledore watched them from a distance, Hestia embracing Harry while Flora stood aloof but smiling since he had gotten through another task unharmed. He had overheard what Chang had said and it displeased him greatly.

Clearly he needed to be more direct in guiding Harry back to the light.

Perhaps it was time to give Hermione Granger the green light on her love potion plans.

**End Chapter**

**In continuing my backlash against Hermione being treated as the Most Perfect Person to Ever Be A Person, love potions! Watch this blow up in her face next chapter!**

**Read and Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Rage**

**Tyene: You're being a bit savage, aren't you?**

**Wanda: In rhetrospect, the wizarding world is kind of a crappy place to live. Even people I like have casually done things that would make me shiver in fear if they were antagonists. I guess that's just bleeding through, especially since I have a cold and its making me rather snappish. I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 5: Confrontations**

"Harry, don't drink that!"

Harry yelped when Hestia suddenly sprang out of her seat in the Room of Requirement and smacked the goblet out of his hand. "What?" He asked, alarmed.

Flora started and knelt down on the floor, examining the spilled pumpkin juice while Hestia caught her breath. A moment later, the girl swore and straightened up. "Your drink was spiked," She told Harry, eyes narrowing.

"With what?" Harry demanded, his heart jumping into his throat.

Hestia sniffed before saying, "Love potion."

"What!" Harry got up himself and stared down at the discoloured liquid. A sick feeling quickly bubbled up in his throat when he considered being stripped of any agency, reduced to a panting dog trailing after a girl he didn't care for. "Who could have done that?"

"Someone who knew our meals were being pre-prepared in the kitchen since we weren't eating with everyone else." Hestia said.

"Or," Flora said with a barely restrained snarl, "It could be someone who wants you back, damn what anyone says."

Harry didn't have to ask. "Hermione!? Hermione did this to me?"

"I'm not certain, but I'd say the line of candidates for this is thin." Flora responded. "Well, there's one way to find out – go out for a walk through the school, Harry, and see if she confronts you. If she did try and drug you, she'll believe you're under the influence. It should be obvious immediately."

Harry nodded grimly. "Hopefully," He grumbled, "This will mean I don't have to deal with her again."

"Don't count on it," Flora said bitterly. "I can't wait to transfer away from this place."

**An Hour Later**

Harry did his best to look dazed, as if he was half asleep. The twins had told him that people who were under the influence of potions tended to act slow and out of it, and he wanted Hermione to believe it had worked so she would shoot her mouth off in front of witnesses. Tracey had volunteered to just 'wander past' as Harry confronted the bushy haired witch, at which point she would rush off straight to Professor Snape's office. That would ensure punishment quite nicely.

Harry was making his way out towards the courtyard when Hermione appeared around the corner. "Harry!" She said, tone overbright with enthusiasm. She hurried over to him as if everything she had done over the last few months had been erased.

Almost instantly, Harry was nearly knocked off his feet by the overwhelming smell of perfume. It was a pleasant aroma, but he could _sense_ something black in its core. Flora was right, again.

"Can I help you?" He asked, his tone cool and pointed.

Hermione didn't seem to notice, she immediately threw her arms around his neck and violently kissed him, biting into his bottom lip with the ferocity of someone claiming property.

After the initial shock passed, Harry's mind snapped into action. He stepped on Hermione's foot as hard as possible, causing the girl to gasp and draw away from him. Harry tasted blood in his mouth.

"Hermione...you saw me throw off the Imperious curse in class, what made you think that a Love Potion would do better?" Harry asked mildly.

"Love potion!" Tracey yelled, appearing from around the corner just on schedule. She had brought along another Slytherin girl for credibility. The girl gasped dramatically, grabbing the attention of other students who had been nearby but hadn't really been paying attention prior.

"What? How could you accuse me of that?" Hermione asked tearfully, reaching out a hand towards him. Harry angrily took a step back. "I love you! I did everything I did just to keep you safe from turning dark!"

"Is that what you call drugging me with a consent-stealing rape potion?" Harry demanded as Tracey ran off with her companion to alert Snape. "Tell me, oh smartest witch of this age, how many relationships are considered true love when one half is under the influence the entire time?"

"Harry, we belong together! We were meant to be side by side from the beginning!" Hermione insisted, ignoring the fact they were drawing a crowd, Ron included. "Its our destiny!"

"Says who? You?" Harry demanded. "Do I have a say in any of this, or is it just some pre-ordained nonsense you read about in bad romance novels?"

"I _felt _it! I've always been there with the solution for you! We deserve each other, especially in this barbaric world! I just wanted to save you from the Carrow girls!"

Harry couldn't help it. He laughed in response to that. "Hermione, I am in no need of saving. If anything, Hestia and Flora saved _me_. They've shown me more support in a few months then I've gotten in over fourteen years, from _you _or anyone else. And if I decide they're my destiny? Right now, that makes much more sense to me then you."

Crossing his arms, he added with a dead cold voice, "You know, there might have been a time a long time from now when I would be willing to forgive you, Ron and all the rest for abandoning me when I was sure I was going to die. However, you've effectively killed that from ever happening when you slipped me a drug that would make me little more then your mindless admirer with no agency of my own."

Turning his back on the now-sobbing girl, Harry growled, "Goodbye, Hermione Granger." before storming off back towards the Room of Requirement.

Hestia and Flora were waiting for him. "How'd it go?" Hestia asked anxiously.

"It went well, all things considered." Harry remarked easily, sitting down next to her. Hestia smiled tentatively when he took her hand in his. "It was Hermione, and she'll be in trouble with Snape. Hopefully this will prevent stuff like that from happening again."

Flora snorted. "I wouldn't count on it. Love potions are seen as harmless fun around here. Though I doubt they are treated as quite that funny when its a boy using it on a girl."

"Either way, it's a rape drug." Harry grumbled. "And yet there are books in a school library that can teach you how to make it."

Hestia sighed. "The more you talk about the muggle world, Harry, the more this world seems..."

"Crapsack?" Flora suggested sourly.

"I was going to say antiquated, but that works to." Hestia said, leaning back in her chair.

Harry kicked his feet up. "I have to agree with Flora here, Hestia. I could write a book on the number of problematic systems in this school alone. I could rant and scream until my lungs gave out about how many human rights violations are employed almost daily by the Ministry, between the depression causing soul sucking monstrosities and throwing people into said jail without any trial. I could point out that even some boarding schools in the muggle world, usually considered prone to issues by the public, have less trouble with blatant bullying then Hogwarts."

"Human rights?"

Harry nearly wanted to throw up at the honest curiosity the twins were showing. "The mundanes decided shortly after World War Two that everyone, no matter what race or creed or _blood status_, possessed certain inalienable rights – to living in safety, to live free of abuse, to live free of extortion or prejudice. Are you really telling me that this magical country doesn't have _any _sort of corresponding legislation?"

Flora looked very interested in this revelation. "Is there any way for me to see what this 'charter' entails in full?" She asked. "That sounds...very honourable. To think father calls the _mundanes _savages, when they treat each other with more civility then the pure bloods treat their children!"

"A question for the ages," Hestia said, sounding somewhat dispirited.

"I'd try and drag this world into the twentieth century kicking and screaming if I thought I would have any sort of effect on them." Harry said.

Upon receiving curious looks, he chuckled darkly and said, "Call it a hero complex. But I would rather change the world then let it remain a place where our childhoods are commonplace and unpunished."

"Of course," Flora said unexpectedly. "For all these years, all I could do under my family's thumb was fume silently at the evil of it all, and protect Hestia from the worst of it. And yet if I were a muggle, all I would have to do was use a telephone and talk to the Aurors – what do the mundanes call them again?"

"Police."

"Right. I could just talk to the police and show them how we've been scarred, and we would be free. And yet Amycus and Alecto Carrow, former (and current) death eaters, are still considered above suspicion!" The water glass next to her exploded into dust with the force of her anger.

Harry gently took her hand and held her gaze when she twisted to look at him. It was still a struggle, even as they lived and worked together, to rebuild fragile walls of trust within all three of them. Harry would still get threatened with curses if he touched Flora when she couldn't see him. Meanwhile, Harry had a tendency to get a bit cagey whenever he, however irrationally, suspected Hestia or Flora might abandon him. The only steady mediator was Hestia, and she was still prone to crippling bouts of emotional insecurity.

"Can we get out of this castle?" Flora asked plaintively. It was so different from her usual attitude or tone of voice that Harry had to swallow over a giggle – the over-dramatics the girls used sometimes never failed to amuse him.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Harry said. "I have no plans to end up raped around here."

When the three left, none of them noticed a particularly glittery beetle that had stowed away in Hestia's coat pocket at some point. "Where to this time?"

"An amusement park." Harry said confidently. "Unfortunately, Disney World is all the way over in America, but I'm sure we'll find something similar a little closer to home."

"Are those the places with the rides that move as fast, or even faster then broomsticks, and the cotton candy?" Hestia asked eagerly.

"That's the place," Harry said with a flourish. Hestia skipped and giggled with excitement, while Flora tried not to look too interested.

**-Shortly after they leave, Snape's Office-**

"Considering you're supposedly the smartest witch of our age, I'm amazed you think you could have gotten away with this," Snape informed a furious Hermione Granger, who had been all but dragged to his office by Crabbe and Goyle when she said that she wasn't taking detentions from a Slytherin.

"Harry needs me!" Hermione practically shouted, despite them being the only two people in the room. "You wouldn't understand!"

"Oh, of course," Snape scathed. "Nothing speaks true love like a gold-digging harpy and her mindless trophy husband."

"It wouldn't be like that! You couldn't even _begin _to imagine what we're supposed to have, something your skanky students are trying to destroy! You could _never _be loved or feel any real love, you hateful bat!"

Had Hermione known even a little bit about the past of Hogwart's potions master, she would have known that she had stepped on a button that was better not pressed. Had it been in a muggle cartoon, it would have been a giant red button covered in signs saying "DANGER! DO NOT PRESS". Of course, Granger rarely gave thought or concern to how other people might see the world.

Severus Snape went very, very quiet. Slowly he stood up from his chair, drew himself up to full height and looked down on Hermione. The bushy haired witch felt her heart drop straight into her stomach; that was a look that would not go amiss on Voldemort's face.

"You," Snape snarled out, fighting to keep control of his seething temper. The image of a beautiful red haired woman flashed past his eyes. "are a spoiled, arrogant, selfish little girl who thinks she knows what's best when you know _nothing _of the world. You cannot even _begin _to _comprehend _the kind of love you claim to have, and if you knew _anything _about my history, you would know that I actually know a great deal more about such things then you. What _you _feel is an infatuation and lust, rooted in what _you _want. Not Potter. I feel _terribly _sorry for whoever ends up in your clutches after Potter leaves this place for good."

Hermione had turned very pale. Snape glared at her for a solid moment of silence before continuing, sounding calmer but no less furious, "I should curse out your tongue for that little accusation of yours, but now that you've exposed how truly selfish and ignorant you are, I have something else in mind. Seven hundred points from Gryffindor for your little potion play, a hundred for your disrespect for me, and thirty apiece for slandering Hestia and Flora Carrow. Consider your library privileges revoked. Be thankful I don't have a house elf monitor you on your off hours to prevent this sort of thing from occurring again."

"You can't," Hermione's voice came out a whisper. "You're not my head of house."

Snape's response was a very cold smile. "And yet I am a teacher, and you are my student. Indeed I can punish you. After all...the safety of the students here is the concern of the teachers, no matter what Albus seems to think. Now get out of my sight."

Hermione needed no prompting. She fled the room in tears.

Snape slowly collapsed back in his chair, the memory of Lily Evans flashing before his eyes again. There was no worse punishment for being indirectly part of the death of someone you loved more then your own life.

**Just outside**

Ron was waiting for Hermione, burning up from the confrontation in the yard, when Hermione burst out of the room.

"Hermione, what was that today?" He demanded, hurrying after her. Hermione ignored him, so Ron continued heatedly, "We finally get a connection, become closer, and suddenly your sprouting some nonsense about how Harry is your _destiny? _With him gone, the two of us have no obstacles! This may be the best thing that's happened to us."

"The _best!?_" Hermione shrieked suddenly, spinning around and violently slapping Ron. The boy nearly toppled over, his face bright red. "Ronald, I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on earth! I only put up with your idiocy, sexism and gluttony because you were Harry's friend! Now that you're not, why would I ever be interested in you? Harry is where my destiny is! I don't care who tries to tear us apart, I'll get him back!"

She ignored the nagging voice that had been raised by Snape's vicious speech. "I would never, _will _never marry you, you pathetic excuse of a man! If your lucky, you could be a table waiter at our wedding." With that, she turned and stormed away, starting to cry again, leaving a shell-shocked redhead behind.

**End Chapter**

**Ah, Hermione. Your steadfast belief that anything outside of what you thinks is possible/guaranteed can't possibly be right became extremely annoying in Book Seven.**

**Read and Review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Rage**

**Tyene: ...Really? That's how you're getting rid of the horcrux in Harry's head?**

**Wanda: Since I don't think it makes sense that Harry is a horcrux at all? Yes. I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 6: Graveyard**

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Harry rolled the charmed ring over in his hand, watching Hestia and Flora in concern. The two girls were wearing identical necklaces that doubled as modified portkeys that would bring them to his location, where ever that might be. "I know that Voldemort arranged for me to enter the tournament." Harry began, "But you're sure that he'll try a comeback?"

Flora nodded. "Dear old dad is far too excited for it to be a rumour." She said.

"It makes sense that it would include you," Hestia added, "Because you're the only one who ever lived."

Harry gave an aggravated sigh. "Sometimes I wish I had been born some nobody on the other side of the world," He said unhappily. "What could possibly be worth all this?"

"If we play this right, it shouldn't be like that for much longer." Flora said. "I have an inkling that Pettigrew will be there, assisting in the planned resurrection, allowing us to both prevent the return and grab Sirius's get out of jail free card, so to speak."

Harry had introduced Monopoly to the girls last night. Flora had vowed vengeance upon him when she landed on his hotel on Oriental Avenue one too many times.

"I think I'm going to ask Sirius to adopt us." Hestia said thoughtfully. "Mother will undoubtedly disown us when she knows we're involved – provided she survives. If our plan kills them both, then we'll disown ourselves before following you out of this place."

Harry smiled. "I better warn Viktor that the last test is rigged." He said. "He'll believe me, and we can't afford anyone else coming along for the ride."

"Tracey's going to flip her lid when she realizes we did this without her," Flora said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"How are the transfer papers to Drumstrang coming along, Harry?" Hestia asked upon the mention of the Quidditch Star.

"Everything's pretty much in order," Harry said. "The only things left are Guardian consent and Karkeroff. Peter's testimony should take care of the latter and I don't imagine Sirius will have to twist Petunia's arm to get her to fork over custody of me."

Flora snorted. Inside she was seething at the mention of Harry's aunt. Secretly, she had been planning some retribution on the miserable individuals for how they had treated her rescuer and close friend – something that involved almost all the dark magic her parents had ever impressed on her. The more cynical Carrow wondered how the saintly Lily Evans ended up with such a bitter, selfish and hateful sister.

Maybe there was an affair involved. That was as near as either sister could factor it.

Harry read over the incantation for this particular curse. "Fiendfyre," He muttered. "Are you sure we can handle this?"

Hestia giggled, causing the boy to blush. "Harry, you could use the Iron Spears. I'm sure you can handle this."

"If it means destroying these fuckers, I'm prepared for anything." Flora said determinedly.

Harry looked between them and smiled. "Then let's get ready." He said.

**The Evening of the Third Task**

Harry ran across the room to hug Remus Lupin, who woofed and ruffled the boy's hair. "Thank you for coming, Professor." He said.

Nymphadora Tonks cooed at how adorable the showing was, while a certain huge black dog barked in approval. Hestia smiled and rubbed 'Padfoot' between the ears while Flora hung back slightly, looking uncharacteristically unsure of herself.

"You must be Flora," Remus said, noticing her unease. "I remember you and your sister got the highest scores in my class last year out of your entire year."

"Well, you were the only competent defence teacher I ever had." Flora responded dryly. "And Malfoy was too busy sticking his nose in the air over your appearance to take any advantage of that. His loss, in my opinion."

"Thank you," Remus said pleasantly. Unlike Sirius, he hadn't possessed any reservations about Flora and Hestia's friendship with Harry – he had seen them during DADA classes and noticed that they behaved nothing like Draco and the similarly raised brood. If anything, he had approved when he realized that they were teaching Harry magic that would allow him to survive the tasks.

"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks said brightly, offering the boy her hand. "I'm Tonks. My mother is Sirius's cousin, so I figured I'd come here to cheer you on!"

Harry blushed and thanked her, surprised by her appearance. He noticed that Remus seemed a little self conscious around Tonks and shot Hestia a knowing look.

Hestia understood immediately, and began silently plotting to discreetly push the two closer together. The girl was a closet romantic and very big on the idea of true love.

Harry looked around the room and caught sight of Viktor. He was standing across the room with his mother, a stunningly beautiful and statuesque lady who made the school headmaster cower away with a single glare. Tracey was with him, clearly enraptured in conversation with the lady.

Viktor caught Harry's gaze and nodded. Upon Harry's warning that Death Eaters had rigged the final task, Viktor had said a number of things in German (that Flora was willing to bet weren't very polite) and said he'd rat his headmaster out, to give them one less thing to worry about.

As the trumpets sounded and the champions began to enter the labyrinth, Harry cast a look over his shoulder and saw his two girls in the crowd. He mouthed out three words before disappearing into the maze.

Hestia clutched the seat in front of her for dear life while Flora shut her eyes.

_I love you_, he had said.

_Don't you dare die, Harry, before we get there._

**In the Maze**

As in the second task, Harry and Viktor moved through the obstacles together.

Therefore, Harry was there to blast the false Moody when he came to Imperious Krum.

"What the hell?" Harry asked in alarm.

"You said this was a set up," Viktor said grimly. "It makes sense that they would have an inside man to set it up."

"I know, but Mad-Eye Moody!? He's the most famously paranoid Auror ever! How'd he get caught?"

"He's talented, yes, but he's not a young man anymore. Perhaps he missed a step." Viktor put the false Moody in a bodybind. "While you contend with the trap, I'll bring this man back and search for the real one. If he's using the transformation juice, the real Alastar Moody can't be far away."

"Thanks Viktor."

"I heard you enjoy Quidditch." Viktor remarked as they approached the centre of the maze. Fleur had been knocked unconscious by a Devil's Snare; the boy's freed her and threw up red sparks so the teachers would come and get her. Cedric was nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah. Youngest seeker in a century." Harry said as they slowed to a stop before the glowing blue cup.

Viktor turned to face Harry and said seriously, "Then do try to come out of there alive, Potter. I would like to put that to the test some time."

Harry grinned in return. "So would I." He reached out and picked up the Goblet. With a flash of a portkey, he vanished from the area.

**Hannington Graveyard**

Harry hit the ground, rolled over and jumped to his feet. Upon seeing the tombstones everywhere, he immediately activated his portkey.

In a flash, both Hestia and Flora appeared. "Hide," Harry told them when a familiar prickling sensation in his scar started up. Voldemort was close.

Hestia pulled Flora behind an angel statue just before a familiar rat appeared in the yard, carrying a bundle in his arms.

Harry let himself get blasted back and pinned against the stone, so Pettigrew would feel confident. A boiling pot appeared as Pettigrew started the ritual.

"Blood...of the one..."

"CRUCIO!"

Pettigrew screeched in pain, dropping Voldemort's fetus-carcass and collapsing on his knees. Flora and Hestia both darted out from their hiding place. Hestia immediately stunned and bound Pettigrew to prevent him from transforming to escape while Flora blew up the cauldron and released Harry.

Harry made a production of stretching and rubbing the back of his head before walking over to Voldemort current physical body. For a moment, he stared down at the body of the one who had killed his parents and who knew how many other people.

Then he pointed his wand.

"_**Dracarys."**_

The modified Fiendfyre spell struck the body with the force of a train. Harry's scar exploded with pain, causing him to pass out.

/

"...rry! ...arry! Harry! HARRY!"

Harry heard Hestia's voice before he could open his eyes. His entire body felt like lead as he returned to the waking world. Hestia was holding him in her arms and shaking him, tears dripping down her face.

"HARRY!" Harry _woofed _slightly as he was crushed against her chest. "Harry, thank good, I thought you were dead!"

"Wha...what happened?"

"..." Flora looked at him for a moment in shock before saying, "Harry your scar is gone."

"What?" Harry reached up and rubbed his forehead. Sure enough, the slight abrasion he had possessed ever since he was a child was gone. "How...what just happened?"

"After you destroyed that body, you kind of had a fit or something," Hestia explained as the two girls helped him to his feet. "Then a blast of shadow left you and the scar disappeared."

"Weird." Harry said, unnerved. "Maybe it had something to do with my connection to Voldemort." He touched his forehead again and laughed. "The scar is gone! Haha! No one will recognize me as some 'boy who lived to suffer' outside of Britain anymore! Glorious day!"

Hestia laughed with him and embraced him. Harry kissed her on the forehead in response before reaching over and pulling Flora into the hug too. Flora let herself be hugged and cracked a smile.

"Let's burn this place and go."

Collecting the comatose Pettigrew, the three waited just long enough for the Death Eaters to start to apparate in and cast their fire curse once more before portkeying out.

Lucius portkeyed straight into the mouth of a burning phoenix.

**End Chapter**

**Next chapter, Sirius is released and signs Harry's transfer papers! Dumbledore activates House Restoration in a desperate bid to make him stay, the Dursleys suffer at Flora's hands, and all is well.**

**Read and Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Politics**

When Harry returned with Pettigrew and the sisters, to say there was some hubhub would be a massive understatement. Remus was the first to really react, apparating straight down and punching Peter straight in the nose, breaking it.

There was an uproar in the stands. Some of the older people pointed and yelled, likely having recognized Peter from the many Prophet images that had come out after his 'death'. Others just knew that something was wrong because Harry hadn't come back with the cup alone.

Flora and Hestia stood on either side of Harry, warding off the crowd as Remus yanked the bound Peter to his feet and made a beeline for the Minister of Magic and threw him at his and Amelia Bones (who had come to oversee the final task due to allegations over Harry's participation)'s feet.

"Sirius is innocent." Remus said with barely contained venom. "He couldn't have very well killed Peter Pettigrew if the man is currently lying right at your feet can you?"

Fudge sputtered and stammered but Amelia Bones reacted in remarkable short order. "It seems to be so, mister Lupin." She said as Kingsley appeared from the crowd to take the rat. "We'll haul him to the Ministry and pump him full of Veratiserum, get this case cleared up once and for all."

Sirius (still in dog form) barked in approval.

"I'd be happy to help with that Madam Bones."

Harry watched in surprise as a tall and stunning red haired woman hurried through the crowd. At first he was confused, but then he noticed Tracey directly on her heels and realized that this must be her mother.

"Amanda!" Bones said with a tone of pleasant surprise. "I wasn't expecting you here."

"My daughter asked me," Amanda Davis responded easily. Her eyes flicked between Pettigrew and the red faced Fudge, and Harry had a suspicion that wasn't her only reason for being here. "I'll take up Black's defence during the interrogation."

Amelia's brow raised in surprise, but she nodded in assent. "You're one of the finest we've got, Davis. I wish you were at work more often."

Amanda gave her a strained smile. "Would if I could, but I needed to support my husband on a few things."

"Probably means Tracey's dad has been keeping her at home, working on the 'resurrection party'." Flora muttered. Harry nodded in agreement.

Tracey pushed her way over to them and scowled. "I can't believe you guys did this without me!" She said indigently.

"Sorry Trace." Hestia said apologetically.

"Where's Viktor?" Harry asked urgently.

Tracey frowned. "He went off with Professor Moody, said he found him unconscious. Then Amelia Bones sent a dozen aurors up after them. It's weird." She frowned when Flora smiled in grim satisfaction. "Okay, spill it. What's going on?"

"Not out here," Harry said. While the room was still in a major hubhub over the explosive end of the tournament, the four of them slipped away into the hallways.

/

"Wait, so you prevented Voldemort's resurrection, killed a bunch of his minions and then just waltzed right back like nothing happened?" Tracey demanded.

"I give credit to Krum for dealing with the Fake Moody." Harry answered. "And finding Fleur before she could get strangled was luck. Other then that, yes – sometimes having death eater relatives is beneficial in the information department."

"Do you know how many are dead?" Tracey asked, hype entering her voice.

Hestia shook her head. "Sorry, we portkeyed out before any of them arrived. Though likely most of them portkeyed straight into the Fiendfyre."

"It'll be a while before we know anything for sure." Flora added. "And hopefully we'll be long gone before anything is guaranteed. I promise you, Dumbledore will be pulling all the stops to make Harry stay in Britain."

"I see." Tracey said mildly. "You guys are running off with him?"

"Indeed." Flora said calmly. "There's a few loose ends we want to deal with first, but then we're leaving. Honestly Trace, why should we stay?"

Tracey raised her hands. "Hey, I just wanted to be sure before I went running off to Drumstrang." She grinned. "It's looking especially appealing now that a new headmaster's going to be in charge next semester."

Hestia clutched her friend's hand and said, "With luck we'll be transferring there too! At least, that's the plan."

"Don't book the tickets just yet," Harry said. "We have to wait until Sirius is officially cleared so he can sign the transfer papers. He's already sold some of the old land for considerable fortune – so buying a house won't be a problem. But there's the matter of making sure that I have 'claim'" he made a face when he said the word, "to Hestia and Flora."

"Provided the parents aren't dead." Flora said. "And I hope they are."

"...Is it a mark of how terrible our families are that I agree with you wishing death on your parents?" Tracey asked no one in particular as the group reached the Room of Requirement.

Harry burst out laughing. "I'd say it was." He remarked.

**The Next Day**

Amanda Davis and Remus Lupin worked throughout the night. Under vertiserum, Pettigrew confessed to everything and was thrown in Azkaban, while Sirius's fugitive status was officially lifted. All the information was in the prophet of course. The goblins must have been feeling pretty smug about proven right, because they invited Sirius to 'review his assets' not long after the paper came out.

"Ah, Sirius Black, Harry Potter, how good to see you both well." Griphook said politely as the group, which consisted of Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Harry, Hestia, and Flora filed into the meeting room. "I imagine you want to pick up where we left off last time?"

"Yes." Sirius said with a smile, relaxing. He already looked much better then when Harry had last seen him – he looked better rested, better fed, and all around more lively. "I'd like to finish addressing the Life Debts owed to Harry Potter by Hestia and Flora Carrow."

The twins nodded in affirmative, while Harry smiled awkwardly.

"I would also like to adopt them," Sirius added to the girl's surprise. "Their current guardians are _insufficient_."

Griphook merely smirked in response. "Very well – the paperwork should lodge through the Ministry's channels, but the change can be done here." He slid some paperwork across the table to Sirius, Hestia and Flora.

"A little blood will be needed from both of you for the contracts, as identification." Griphook said. Hestia winced as she pricked her finger and pressed it against the page, Flora following suit.

Once the paperwork was filed, Griphook gave Harry a toothy grin. "I suggest you go shopping for engagement rings in the near future, mr Potter."

Harry laughed, his face flushed red. "I'll bear that in mind."

As the group was walking out of Gringotts, Sirius said, "Hand me the paperwork for Drumstrang, Harry – I want to get it off to the school as soon as possible. You've impressed a large chunk of their students," He added. He had heard some of the travelling students muttering about how Potter deserved better schooling during the third task.

"I'm embarrassed. I'm nothing special."

"Sure you aren't." Flora said sarcastically.

A moment later, Amanda and Tracey Davis came bolting out of the bank. "Hey!" Amanda yelled, flagging the group down. Once they caught up, the young woman said, "Would you mind taking two guests along? My ex husband is going to have kittens when he discovers I've abandoned him and taken half his vaults."

Sirius, looking appreciatively at the woman who had helped him (and was pretty damn hot, if he did say so himself) nodded in assent. Tracey cheered and took Hestia and Flora's hands, ignoring Hestia's bemusement and Flora's mild annoyance.

**At Remus's Flat**

Harry collapsed on the sofa when they reached the house and fell asleep, the accumulated stress of the events of the Tri Wizard Tournament and the events surrounding it finally crashing over him like a black wave of exhaustion.

Flora and Hestia were still awake, lounging around in the spare room. "How does it feel to be a Black, sister?" Flora asked mildly. She was organizing a black bag with various potions and books.

"Do you have to ask?" Hestia asked, smiling. The twins, like Fred and George, were close enough to share feelings and even thoughts.

Flora smirked and placed her wand on the table. The tracking charm from the Ministry had been removed in preparation for moving to Bulgaria.

"You're going to Privet Drive, aren't you?" Hestia asked her sister after a moment of silence.

"What gave it away?" Flora asked, her voice becoming significantly cooler. "Do you want to come?"

Hestia frowned and shook her head. "I hate them as much as you do, Flora, but I don't think I have the stomach." She said. "You were always the warrior of the two of us."

"And you were the heart that kept me grounded. Still are." Flora said, straightening up and slipping into the leather jacket that Sirius had provided for her. The man outrageously favoured such biker material. "But I need and want to do this. Harry saved us from our parents. While I never got to pay them back for what they did to us, I think I shall do the same for Harry."

"Sirius would never let them get close to Harry." Hestia pointed out.

"I'll be damned if I let them go unpunished for the hell they put him through." Flora growled.

Hestia nodded and let out a small sigh. "I won't stop you, sis." There was a moment of silence. "Tell me about it when you get back."

Flora smiled coldly. "I thought you might." She slung her bag over her shoulder, pocketed the portkey Remus had provided in case groceries were needed, and slipped out of the house.

**Little Whining, Privet Drive, Number Four**

Vernon was in a drunken rage. Petunia was still furious over 'the freak's' departure from their house. Dudley was just coming home from tormenting another neighbourhood kid. They were all in the living room when there was a knock on the door.

Casting a grim look at her not – at – all presentable husband, Petunia tried to pretend no one was home. The knocking was insistent for a few minutes, then it suddenly stopped.

The woman let out a sigh of relief for a moment, before her blood turned cold when she heard the lock turn and the door open entirely on its own.

Vernon was surprised to find himself suddenly sober. His eyes lit upon a black-clad young woman with dirty blonde hair and burning blue eyes.

That was the last thing he saw before he was blinded with pain.

Flora hit the walrus with a Crucio first. She threw a severing curse at the boy's hands, the fists that had left Harry broken and bleeding so many times. Next she paralyzed Petunia before heading over towards Dudley.

Forcing the boy's mouth open, she poured several potions down his throat. The first one would cause him to have terrible nightmares, the second one would only allow him to retain enough food to keep him alive, while the third would make his bones brittle.

Once finished with him, Flora turned towards the walrus again. She threw three more Crucio's at him before placing a permanent hex on him, something of her aunt's design. It would make him forever reviled by anyone who saw him.

Finally, she turned her attention towards Petunia. Quickly she hit the woman with over a dozen cutting curses, disfiguring her beyond even Poppy's help. Cleaning up the wounds, she then placed another of her aunt's hexes upon the woman – one that would make her feel all the pain that had been inflicted upon Flora herself over the years.

Her job finished, Flora disappeared with a crack, leaving the tormented Dursleys behind to their permanent misery.


	8. Chapter 8

**Rage**

**Tyene: Aaaand that's the last plot device to be dismantled. I take it this story is almost over?**

**Wanda: Yeah. It was a prompt, and I figured it would wrap up fairly easily, and OMG 3 DAYS TO AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON GET HYPE. I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 8: Harem? No thank you**

The next day, Remus opened the door to find an Auror standing in front of him.

"Can I help you?" He asked politely.

"I was told to bring Harry Potter to the Ministry."

"On who's authority?" Sirius demanded, hurrying over to join his friend.

"He's not in trouble," The auror said hastily, looking a little frightened. "All boys above sixteen of pureblood background are being called to the Ministry. The House Restoration act has been put through."

Sirius looked like he was about to let loose with some exceptionally foul language when Remus gave him a warning look before politely responding, "I see. Please wait outside, we need some time to prepare."

/

"HAREM!?"

Harry looked a strange mixture of horribly flustered and indigent. Flora looked furious, while Hestia and Tracey just looked concerned. "Why would I-who would-what kind of person do they think I am?" He demanded. "Why would I want to chain a bunch of girls who don't love me into my family? Who would be sex crazed, misogynistic and hateful enough to do something like that!?"

"Wizarding Britain, apparently." Tracey grumbled.

"What can I do about this!?" Harry asked desperately, turning his head towards Sirius. "Sirius, this must have been made to make me stay here, what can I-"

"Calm down, pup." Sirius said soothingly. Once Remus and he had looked over the documents, he was significantly calmer though no less annoyed – you could tell by his expression. "Only your guardian can select or negotiate your engagements. I'm not making you marry twenty different girls for the sake of 'reigniting bloodlines."

The teenagers collectively shuddered at the implications, especially the girls. Being turned into a babymaker for the rest of their life was not on the Carrow-Black or Davis to-do list.

"So if you have to get engaged-" Sirius cast a look over Hestia and Flora, who both smiled slightly. "Then I think our solution to this problem is obvious. After that, we renounce British citizenship, removing us from those 'binding' laws permanently."

Harry let out his breath. "Thanks Sirius. I was worried for a minute."

Taking a deep breath, he turned towards Hestia and Flora and said, "I'm not really good at this, but would you two marry me? Not now – not completely – but do you really want to spend the rest of your lives with me?"

Surprisingly, it was Flora who responded first. "Harry," She deadpanned, "After what we've gone through together and how much we've opened up, do you even have to ask?"

Hestia chirped her agreement, causing Harry to smile in a way he hadn't before. "I'm glad. There's no one else I would like at my side right now."

"Good," Viktor said. Glancing at Tracey, he added, "I don't like it, but perhaps we shall do the same Tracey. I do not wish for you to be snapped up before you have a chance to leave."

Tracey grinned. "Hell yes!" She shouted, punching her first in the air. Her mother laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Then let's get to the Ministry."

**An Hour Later, at the Ministry**

Dumbledore was sitting in his office, with Fudge, Hermione and Daphne Greengrass sitting primly in their seats. Well, not primly perhaps.

Hermione kept shooting Daphne murderous looks while Daphne was hiding her emotional anguish behind her characteristic ice mask. She had been getting close to Blaise Zabini for two years and now she was being sold to a boy she barely knew.

Her parents had protested at first but Dumbledore had insisted this was for the best. Her mother hadn't been convinced, but her father caved in – Daphne suspected that was simply because everyone was used to listening to Dumbledore. He liked to impress that his opinion was the right one.

The door finally opened. Dumbledore smiled until he realized who was walking in – Sirius Black, holding a number of papers and looking none too happy. Hermione beamed, not noticing it, while Daphne let a grimmer of hope appear in her eyes.

"Ah, Sirius, how good to see you. Is Harry here? I have his engagement rings prepared for him."

"No, he's outside with Remus and won't be coming in." Sirius barked, sitting down. "You might not have noticed Dumbledore, but I have regained my status as a free man and with that, my position as Harry's guardians. You are now in no position to decide who Harry marries."

"Sirius, I'm the right choice for Harry!" Hermione said excitedly. "You must have chosen me first!"

"Actually, I didn't choose you at all." Sirius responded cooly. "I thought you were smart Granger, but it turned out you're a self interested witch, delusional, and you're kind of crazy. I don't want Harry marrying someone who throws severing curses at another girl's back."

Turning towards Daphne, ignoring Hermione's stunned silence, he said, "Miss Greengrass. I'm sure you're a lovely young lady, but Harry politely declines your parents offer of marriage on the circumstances that you two have never truly spoken. You are not obligated to your family – go find your wizard."

Daphne tried to hide her joy at this, and bowed her head. "Thank you, Lord Black."

"Just Sirius, miss. I'm no lord, especially now that I'm renouncing my British Citizenship." Sirius said.

"I think you deserve the title," Daphne said primly, "Because you act like more of a lord then some people I know." With a polite bow, she jumped up and ran out of the room.

"Harry has chosen Hestia and Flora Carrow-Black as his wives." Sirius informed Dumbledore, placing the papers infront of him.

"WHAT!? SIRIUS, WHY WOULD YOU OF ALL PEOPLE GIVE HARRY TO THOSE SLYTHERIN MONSTERS!?" Hermione demanded.

Sirius shot her a look that could melt steel. "Because he loves them, Granger. And they love him. You're more of a monster then them – don't think I haven't heard of how you tried to drug Harry with a love potion."

Returning his attention to Dumbledore, he went on, "Consider this my resignation from the Order, and everything involving Britain. Myself and my family will be moving to Bulgaria as of this evening and god willing we will never return."

"But...but Harry needs me..."

"Why would Harry need someone who left him to be abused?" Sirius asked, his voice dropping to sub zero temperatures. "What he needs is a normal life with people who care about him, away from the violence and the cruelty and the trauma that is all he knows about this place."

Placing the renounced papers on the desk, Sirius stood up and said, "Goodbye Albus," turned and left, leaving a sobbing Hermione and shell-shocked Dumbledore behind.

**Elsewhere in the Ministry**

"I WOULD RATHER BE A STREET WHORE THEN YOUR WIFE, MALFOY!"

"That's your other option, Weasley." Lucius Malfoy sneered. "You should be on your knees in gratitude that my son denied to notice you, to give you the life you could never have with your partly family money...but you show behaviour unbecoming of a pureblood lady."

Ginny Weasley spat on the floor, glaring death at a smug Draco Malfoy and his fuming sub wife Pansy Parkinson. "Like hell! I refuse to accept this! I'll never, ever, ever be your pathetic excuse of a son's plaything!"

Ripping up her half of the contract, Ginny bolted for the floo and rejoined her parents, who had left to regain their equilibrium when faced with this devastating new situation.

"You can't let him do this!" Ginny yelled at them, angry tears streaking down her cheeks. "You can't sell me to them, like – like a cattle!"

Arthur immediately got up and embraced her. "I promise you Ginny, if we had a choice we would never do that to you. We both love you with all our hearts."

Molly hugged her next. "Sweetheart, this wasn't our choice. The law requires that the boys choose their wives, and we cannot refuse without giving you up to the state."

Ginny squirmed free and looked angrily between her parents. "There has to be something you can do!" She argued. "I can't – I can't be shackled to that bastard!"

It was a mark of how upset she was that Molly didn't scold her daughter for using that sort of language. Arthur, however, took on a more serious face.

"I know, Ginny. I have a plan." He said, placing his hands on his shaking daughter's shoulders. "You know we're a big family, yes? Well, I have a cousin who lives with two children in America. I just sent him a firecall and he agreed to house you." When Ginny gave him a quizzical look, Arthur elaborated, "I'm going to transfer custody of you over to him, and he's going to get you American citizenship. Once you step over the border, they cannot force you to marry Malfoy."

Ginny nodded slowly in understanding. "But what about you? Will I ever see you again?" She asked quietly.

"Of course." Molly said, smiling encouragingly through her tears. "We'll come to visit you as often as we can. But if we're going to get you over the border before the deadline tonight, we have to hurry. Don't worry about packing clothes, Daniel will have some ready for you when you get there."

Tears in her eyes again, Ginny hugged both her parents.

Draco Malfoy came in, wanting to get 'acquainted' with his 'primary' bride. But what he got was a high power bat-boogey hex to the face right before the Weasleys disappeared into the floo.

**Back with Dumbledore**

"...You promised me him...my destiny..."

"I'm sorry Hermione, but its out of my hands now. The act cannot force non citizens to marry, and Harry has given it up."

"...b-but why...? You said he would forgive us...! after everything I did for him..."

"Forgive me, Hermione...I had thought he was loyal to me..." Dumbledore sighed. "I'll find you another husband, don't worry."

"I don't want another...I want Harry..."

"I"m afraid that can't be helped...I need to find you one before you get 'picked up' by Malfoy. I'm sure Ronald would be willing..."

Hermione flushed dark red. Now she was settling for less than nothing – a boy she considered totally useless.

**End Chapter**

**Something that always bugged me about harem/marriage laws was that people protest but don't try to resist. I mean, I figured that not being a British Citizen meant their laws didn't affect you. (shrugs)**

**Oh, that 'Lucius' is actually Narcissa Malfoy disguised as her husband because 'good women shouldn't be involved in politics'. (severe eyeroll)**

**Read and Review and I'll see you at the finale!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Rage**

**Wanda: Well would you look at that! I managed to write an actually SHORT story instead of letting it get away from me like crazy and adding on ten more chapters and subplots and whatnot. Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed and Favorited, you guys are the best audience a girl could ask for! I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 9: Epilogue**

Wizarding Britain lost almost all respect in the magical community with the passing of the Restoration Act.

"You sell your girls like cattle!" The Amercian Minister had said. "If you want to remain in the Dark Ages that badly, be our guest – but you won't be taking our children with you!"

A trade embargo was placed on the country by most of its original primary backers, causing it to nosedive miles into debt. Even those who had been rich found themselves struggling to get by as a single loaf of bread cost almost a wheelbarrow full of galleons. A huge exodus of muggleborns and halfbloods fled the country and took refuge in Canada, Australia, America and Russia, leaving the few behind stuck in the past to struggle on.

Voldemort never returned. He lost most of his followers and remained a powerless wraith, wandering the world in a helpless fury.

Ron and Hermione eventually married. Hermione whipped any spine out of Ron not long afterwards, and they only had two children. Hermione would remain a bitter woman until her death, and she took it out on everyone. She showed her twin children no love, calling them 'mistakes' and saying that in a perfect world they didn't exist. The two, Rose and Hugo, eventually ran away from home and refused to see her on her deathbed.

Ginny Weasley, later Ginny Dawson, enjoyed a brilliant Quidditch carrier in America, gaining a lot of fame and respect from other teams. Her husband adored her and she ended up with six children, all of whom she loved dearly and would go on to do great things on their own.

Sirius Black, once settled in Bulgaria with his godson, married Amanda Davis. They would go on to have a daughter and three sons, Emily, Regulus, James and Perseus Black.

Viktor Krum, once he came of age, married Tracey and retained his status as an international Quidditch star, though he found himself facing some stiff competition.

Harry Potter became world renounced both as a Quidditch Player and as a duellist, taking several championships and earning worldwide respect. His two wives, Hestia and Flora, also took to the duelling circits and ended up with frightening reputations of their own.

The children of the house – Leah, Anna, Elsa, Tara, Jace and Claire – were beloved by their parents and would go to Drumgstrang for their education when they came of age. The school had gotten a significant uptake in popularity and acceptance after Karkeroff was jailed and a new headmaster took over, one much more moral.

In the end, Harry, Flora and Hestia could let go of their rage over the mistreatment they had suffered for so long. Instead, they could rely on happiness and contentment – which, sometimes, were more powerful.

**End**

**Read and Review and thanks for reading!**


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